Aceilux
by Wyna Hiros
Summary: Zelda 64:Ocarina of Time. There are those who do not look kindly upon the lusts of a corrupt Queen... PostOoT, some AU. Suggested Sheik plus Zelda, Link x Sheik slash. Sheikcentric COMPLETED!
1. Aceilux

**Aceilux**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Genre**: Zelda 64. (Ocarina of Time)  
**Type**: Multi-chapter  
**Rating**: R  
**Summary**: Zelda 64 OoT There are those who do not look kindly upon the lusts of a corrupt Queen... (Post-OoT, some AU. Suggested Sheik + Zelda, Link/Sheik) (YAOI) Sheik-centric  
**Illustrations/Fanart:** Possibly.  
**Feedback**: Yes please cheesy grin

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters: no money is made off this. ; This story, and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

**Author Notes:**  
A few warnings. This is slash fanfic, as well as am AU. Alternate Universe (sort of). Here, Zelda and Sheik are two different people. In case I need to spell it out: in this fic, Zelda is a girl, Sheik is a guy. And yes, I've played the game. I prefer to write them as separate characters. Much of Hyrule's history has been made up to fill in gaps.

This is told from Sheik's point of view only.

So, enjoy(?) and please review...

* * *

**Aceilux**

* * *

Rain.

It's been raining non-stop for the past two days. The first time in several months, actually.

_/You're supposed to be looking over these records, _not_ wasting time like this./_

I grimaced at the thought from where I sat, at an old desk and surrounded by half-faded scrolls and tomes. This might as well be a second home to me: I was beginning to see less and less of outside world, when I was not out on the Queen's orders. Part of me minded. Part of me wanted to be out of the castle walls, even now, and just wander Hyrule, with no plan or destination in mind. However, I would never allow myself to just desert the Queen or my duty.

...Even if things had become different than they were, years ago.

_/It's been three.../_

_/No. Four years./_

I glanced up at the ceiling, feeling that age-old chill that always followed at such memories. Four years now, since Ganondorf, the Black King, had been defeated. Hard to imagine it was that long ago, actually.

Four years...

Four years since Link had collapsed on the ruins of the castle...

* * *

_The wind carried a foul stench with it, the kind that went past even my face cover and flooded the senses . Besides me, Impa frowned in concentration as we stopped momentarily to rest at the gates of the marketplace. She knelt for a moment, catching her breath - Sheikah or not, even she was beginning to feel the effects of age. I was impatient, knowing that there was just _no time _to be sitting around. However, I didn't say anything; the only sign of my restlessness was the slight shifting of my weight from foot to foot._

_ For a moment, there was silence._

_ Or what could've passed for a weak semblance of one: aside from Impa's muffled panting, the wind was beginning to moan, and if that was an indication... then it would get worse (hurricane level, possibly) as we drew closer to the Dark One's fortress. All around us, the marketplace was littered with the corpses of the undead, silenced by the power of the Master Sword. A loud humming noise, increasing in volume with every second, filled the courtyard._

_ I almost couldn't hear the sound of crows picking apart the rotting flesh strewn around us._

_ "M'lady, time is short..." I started._

_ No answer at first. A second passed, then another before she finally stood up. The Sage gave me a small frown of disapproval as she passed by to resume the lead once more._

* * *

_ We arrived too late. The tower was gone now, reduced to rubble and surrounded by walls of fire. I couldn'tsee much of anything through the flames, though every now and then, I would catch glimpses of a Kokori tunic, metal, something hulking that even from here radiated this sense of _evil _that made me feel sick to my stomach._

_ Ganon._

_ We hurried up the rocky slopes, though I now led the way, my heart in my throat - Link couldn't last long if something wasn't done about this, and soon._

_ We had to find the princess._

_ I was rapidly leaving Impa behind, but being courteous was the last thing on my mind. I was over the top of the ridge in less than a minute, and already half-sliding, half-racing down the steep slope, gravel flying, the wind whipping at me. It was then that I saw her near the bridge; a slim shape, dressed in the whites of her station, sprawled unmovingly on the ground._

_ I hoped to the high Triad that she wasn't dead._

* * *

_ She was alive when I reached her. Alive, but out-cold - my hand, touching her neck to feel for a pulse, came away bloody, from where she'd been hit by debris. I propped her up against a rock, ignoring the small groan of protest, just as Impa finally caught up to me._

_ ...And abruptly stopped. I looked up._

_ She was standing there, staring into the fire, her eyes dilating and contracting, jaw clenched, fingers curling and uncurling in the face of something that was concealed by the flames._

_ "M'lady."  
_

_ No response. Another attempt, louder this time. "M'lady!"_

_ Again, no reaction._

_ I tried one more time, already feeling harried. "IMPA!_

_ She shook at the harsh snap, seeming to jerk out of her trance, and looked down at me._

_ "I need something to wake her up."_

_ Impa swallowed hard and knelt by me, rummaging through her pouches. " I think I might--Ah." She came up with a tiny vial, filled halfway with a clear liquid, and handed it to me. I quickly opened it and waved it under the princess' nose, managing to keep my balance as the ground trembled beneath us._

_ I held my breath. If this didn't work...  
_

_ My fears were dispelled almost immediately: the princess came to with a start, eyes snapping open and flitting around, dazed for a brief moment and coughing from the vial's scent._

_ "Wha-Impa? Sheik?" Then it registered, her memory reminding her where she was. "Link! Where is he?! Ganon--!"_

_ I cut her off. "Can you stand?"_

_ "I-I think so," the princess grabbed onto my arms for support, and unsteadily tried to get up. Somewhat unceremoniously, I pulled her up, though inside I felt a tiny flash of guilt for such treatment of royalty...but we didn't have all day to wait for her to gain her balance._

_ Behind me, I could practically feel Impa scowling at me for my rough handling of the princess._

_ "I have to get closer...I have to help him," I could barely hear her voice, as the air was split by an unearthly shriek of pain and rage._

_ With our help, she crossed the bridge, limping but bearing the pain silently, her jaw set._

_ The flames flickered as we neared, seeming to quake in her presence. I could hear the sound of something - Ganon - moving beyond the fire wall, each step rocking the ground beneath us, occasionally followed by the sound of metal striking scales and flesh._

_ "Release me," the princess ordered suddenly . The command was stern, the change in tone revealing a hidden strength that surprised me. I let go of her. She didn't look back at me, nor did she glance at Impa, who reluctantly released her arm - her gaze was set on the flames, and somehow I knew that she could see past them, that she was looking right at the monstrosity beyond._

_ "What would you have us to do, M'lady?" Impa asked._

_ The answer was immediate, "I need you two to channel the power of the Sages to me. I will focus it, but I need you two to anchor it."_

_ I shot a swift sideways glance at Impa, silently questioning the order. Channeling was more than a little dangerous, and the possibilities for error were too great. We'd both seen the effects of such channeling gone wrong - the slightest change in variables, a weak mind, a weak body, a stray thought... the smallest thing, and you would have nothing left but an unrecognizable corpse that even the maggots wouldn't touch._

_ Impa slowly gave me a small nod: we had to try, regardless of the risks._

_ We both backed away several steps, Impa drawing the channeling patterns in the dirt quickly but carefully. Zelda had also bent, drawing the patterns for the foci in front of her with her fingers._

_ I stood there for a moment. Stood there and just... looked around. Seeing everything, but at the same time, not really understanding it. Fire. A shadow beyond. The ring of steel. Dark blurs, of the charred land around us...blood...dismembered bodies...mass graves..._

_ A hand touched my shoulder. I started. It was Impa._

_ "We're ready," she said. I nodded and took my place within my set of patterns sketched into the ground, where I half-knelt, my head nearly touching the ground, Impa doing the same across from me._

_ She looked up at me, slightly. And for the first time in all the years that I'd known her, she actually gave me a small (though humorless) smile._

_ ...And all hell broke loose._

_ Light flared up all around us from the patterns on the ground, and for a second, all I could see was white. There was a brief pause, and this sensation of weightlessness..._

_ Followed by pure _pain_. It coursed through my veins, starting from my toes, going through my knees and up my spine, before it filled my head. It was as if I was being burned alive from the inside._

_ I think I might've screamed, but it was drowned out by the growing howl of the energy around us. I distantly felt myself start to fall and barely managed to catch myself in time before I could smear the patterns. Lightning flickered across my vision and all I saw was red as I forced myself to my feet. For a moment, I caught a glimpse of Impa rising, her body also wracked with pain, but still barely managing._

_ And then there were voices. Voices, disembodied, some male, some female, all differing in age and health - some melodious and some rattling, like dead leaves._

_The Sages._

_ I was hearing all the Sages, every Sage that existed, in my head._

_ And I wanted them to stop. Some questioned me, others said nothing, but their silence was just as bad. More were yammering, confused, while others wailed of their unjust deaths to me. This horrible cacophony of sound, that resounded in my head without signs of stopping, only growing worse and worse._

_/...I might just go mad before I die.../_

_ Shakily, I bent and began to focus the agony that my mind and body were going under, to force it to become something useful, something to help me concentrate as I began to guide the energy through me and towards the connecting patterns between Impa and I._

_ It was building and building, and it was all I could do to stay conscious._

_ Impa raised her head, and her eyes - glowing a sickly yellow - met mine, just as the voices in my head suddenly shrieked, the energy suddenly reaching its peak--_

_ --And then there was only silence, as the channeled power gathered, combined, mutated, and shot out towards the princess..._

_ ...and then..._

_ ...blackness._

* * *

_ I had passed out for less than a minute: I came to, half sprawled on the ground and vaguely wondering why I was still alive. Immediately, I surged to my feet, my body feeling unresponsive and lethargic. Besides me, Impa was also wavering on her feet._

_ I glanced around. My vision was hazy but slowly returning to normal, despite the white-hot sparks that still swam in front of my eyes._

_ And that's when I saw it: the flames were gone. Link and the princess were standing before Ganon, the giant creature on its knees, dazed, Link's sword raised and glowing._

_ I took a step forward, then another..._

_ The sword fell._

_ Another step..._

_ Unholy blood sprayed..._

_ ...Light shot out from the giant beast as a portal ripped out underneath its massive hooves, dragging it down..._

_ Fire flared up from it, and the skies turned crimson, as the rift grew larger around Ganon..._

_ ...And closed after it, leaving only the splatters of blood on the ruins. The princess made a move towards Link, and called out his name hesitantly when he made no motion to even move..._

_ That's when I began to run..._

* * *

_ That moment, just as I saw the princess take a step towards Link, will always be the clearest._

_ There was a "clang" sound, as the Master Sword slipped from Link's suddenly nerveless fingers to clatter against the ruins of the castle, and he teetered on his feet for a few moments._

_ And then, as if the strings had been cut, his legs gave out, and he crumbled to the ground in a heap._

_ The princess screamed._

* * *

_ When we reached him, the princess was trying to shake him awake. Impa, with an apologetic look, had to pry her off so I could attend to Link. I looked him over, checking for a pulse and coming up with one, searching for wounds: light scratches, one or two gashes that wouldn't have caused him to pass out, much less be life-threatening._

_ But when I touched him, it was if I couldn't feel him there anymore._

_ An hour passed after that and he hadn't come to: we had tried various vials of Impa's medicines - even the Princess had tried to revive him with her magic. Nothing worked. But his heart continued to beat, strongly, and his pulse never wavered._

_ ...I didn't understand it..._

_We'd waited anxiously weeks after that in Kakariko, as it was one of the few villages in main Hyrule that remained fairly intact. It was a mess, with wounded drifting in from all over. The princess attended to them, easing their pain as best she could, while Impa and I kept watch over Link's still form._

_ Weeks after, even when they started to rebuild Hyrule castle, he remained comatose. A few days before the princess' coronation, to take her place as Queen, the Kokiri came for Link and within a few hours, bore his body back to the forests. I had watched, even helped them lift him onto the bedding - I remember his body being warm still, flexible - obviously alive, for there were no signs of rigor mortis or even rotting._

_ I couldn't believe that I was doing this to someone I had talked with only months before, someone I had touched, someone I had wondered at the possibility being even more than a friendship between us..._

_ Numbly, I'd watched the forest children leave, vanishing into the evening, bearing the former Hero of Time. Had stood there, even after they were long gone, and the moon had begun to rise..._

* * *

"Sir?"

I blinked, coming back into the present.

One of the servants was standing at my shoulder. She went on, seeing that she finally had my attention: "Her Highness wishes to have your company."

I glanced at the water clock, barely visible among stacks of scrolls. I hadn't noticed just how long I'd been brooding (and how much time had been lost - I was going to have to make this up later, a small part of me lamented); it was starting to grow late into the afternoon.

"Thank you," I said. The girl nodded, bowed low and left.

I stood up, closed the giant tome, staring at it for a moment.

A day hadn't gone by where what happened at the ruins of the castle hadn't gone through my mind...

_/That day, when Link fell.../_

_/I felt like something inside me had just been lost.../_

There were definitely more guards here than I remembered. I nodded to one of the soldiers as I passed, walking swiftly down the cavernous hall, towards the royal chambers.

But then again, this wasn't the only new thing in the past four years. Things had changed around Hyrule. People had changed. They were becoming unhappy; they were being asked for too much, and too soon, with too little sympathy. Her Highness was not the same person I remembered years ago.

_/You really shouldn't be thinking of these things. Regardless, she is your Queen.../_

Stopped before the heavy doors, and knocked. A pause, then a faint "come in."

_/...And she'll always remain so./ _

The room was dark, almost musty with the smell and feel of lavender incense, burning from the custom-made Gerudo lamps set around the room. Off to the side weresome books, a desk, cushions, and through a smaller set of ivory doors that were wide open, the Queen's bedroom.

My vision took awhile to adjust, though I knew from memory just how the room was laid out - there was no danger of tripping and falling. I made my way to the Queen's chambers. I stopped and half-knelt, bowing low in a show of deference.

"Sheik?" I started, involuntarily. The slightly worn edge of her voice never ceased to surprise me, but I was careful to cover that up.

"Your Highness."

I glanced up out of the corner of my eye to see her rise from where she'd been sitting, brushing at her hair. Even in the privacy of her chambers, she still wore the opaque veil - it was eerie, looking at her and seeing nothing but a wall of cloth before her face and hearing a seemingly disembodied voice.

_/She's definitely different, from that time./_

I stifled that thought: for all I knew, she could read my thoughts. I lowered my eyes, feeling guilty. Several minutes passed and she moved around, getting ready - she wouldn't let anyone come closer to her anymore, not even Impa: I was one of the few that she trusted still. The fact that she was allowing me to be here was proof enough of that.

I waited patiently knowing that I was not forgotten.

"Did you find anything?" she finally broke the silence.

I kept my head down. "Not yet, Your Highness. I need more time to look through the records..."

She was looking at me from across the room. I hesitated, bit back a unbidden question -

"You may speak freely," her tone was flat, obviously seeing right through me.

"I beg your pardon, but perhaps the other Sages could be of assistance... perhaps one of them would know how-"

I was cut off with a humorless and almost cold laugh.

"The Sages? They're useless. They claim that they have nothing to say, no more to do with us," I could tell that she was growing angry, the disdain and frustration obvious in her tone. "They're nothing more than traitors, all of them. They will not help us!"

A pause. Her Majesty's barely contained fury seemed to fill the room. I could barely hide my own surprise, as this was news to me: the Sages...had they cast her out? But why?

This did not bode well. The fact that Her Highness had begun to search for ways to attain a higher power was not much of a secret anymore. Were the Sages rejecting her actions? And could the Sages take action against one of their own?

I turned my attention back to the Queen: she was speaking more to herself now, rather than to me.

"Is it so wrong to want to help this kingdom? Is it so wrong to want to live happily, to better ourselves so we may better serve our people? Why do they fight us?!" There was a growing, though almost hidden, tone of desperation in her voice.

I tried to reassure her. "Your Highness, you're doing all you can - you've already gotten further --"

Again, she interrupted me - I could feel her eyes burning at me through the veil from across the room. "That's not good enough," she said, her tone eerily quiet, the royal plurals forgotten in her agitation. "There are those who still challenge me. How dare they?! After all I've done for them! I-I can still sense something, something, a threat, in the distance, growing closer-"

I clamped my mouth shut, knowing that any more input from me would make this take a turn for the worst: she had become tormented, a year after ascending the throne. From the looks of it, she also hadn't been getting much rest within the past few months. I frowned at this, wanting more than ever to ease her suffering and silently vowed, once again, to do all I could to help.

Her tirade was cut short by the sound of a timid knock. I felt, rather than saw, Her Majesty start a little and recoil from the sound, her veiled face probably snapping away to stare at the door.

"Get that," she commanded, her voice sounding slightly shaky, though whether it was from her previous anger or from the interruption, I couldn't tell.

I stood and obliged her, exiting the room, and opening the door. One of the guards was standing there, a hand half-raised to knock again.

"Yes?"

"The stewardess asked us to send word that the petitioners are here to seek audience with Her Highness."

Them again. I winced internally. These sessions rarely ever went well, with either Her Majesty or the petitioners...

"I'll tell her. Thank you."

He bowed and resumed his post. I closed the door, plunging the room once again in its almost sickening lavander-incensed darkness, one of the candles flickering out in the corner. I made a mental note to get a servant to replace it as I returned to the Queen's bed chambers. She was still standing where I'd left her.

"I-We heard...We'll...get ready," was all she said, though she sounded hollow, distracted.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather have the handmaidens help you?"

"No. We don't want them in there."

Silence. She hadn't moved an inch, looking down at her hands nervously, toying with the hem of a sleeve. I hated seeing her like this, and I partially blamed myself for it: there had to be something I'd overlooked, something I hadn't done. I knew that the fact that only Impa and myself remained had hurt her- the other Sheikah, some who had served the family for several generations, had long gone, vanishing without a trace one early morning...

_/Even Impa's visits've been growing less and less in number. The last I saw of her was months ago./_

I crossed the room and knelt in front of the Queen, though I knew better than to touch her. I could feel her looking down at me.

"We will work this out. I promise you, Sages or not, " I paused, hesitated, knowing that this was already a breach in protocol. "And... regardless, whatever happens, I will always be by your side."

_/No matter what you've become./_

* * *

Ten minutes had passed since I'd left Her Majesty, and after going to lock up the records room, I made my way towards the main Hall. I took my place at the right hand side of the room, standing in the aisle, but still the closest to her throne. The crowd - petitioners- began to file in, and I instinctively sized up each and everyone of them. They all had that look about them, of mingled anger and fear, irritation, hunger.

The signs of weakening kingdom.

I looked at the empty dais, then back at the growing mass. There was a murmur, a rise in the droning of their muttering, as the Queen entered the room and took her seat.

It was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

A "long afternoon" that unfortunately extended into the evening.

There were complaints, pleading, even one or two demands from the more hot-headed of the petitioners. It was the same thing: I'd heard it all before, though the fact that they were increasing was more than a little worrying. However, it was the last petitioner, the only one who didn't ask anything of the Queen, who was the worst - an older Hylian woman, in her late-fourties and carrying the scars from the Dark One's reign. There were burns all over her body, and bandages over where her eyes had been. Even from where I stood, I could see the tell-tale depressions in the gauze, and I knew that during those years, she'd suffered as a captive: her eyes had been gouged out of their sockets.

My stomach gave a little turn from just thinking of what it must look like behind those strips of cloth. The crowd parted before her, a guard stepping out to aid her towards the Queen's direction. The middle-aged woman pushed him away, roughly, beginning to speak, her voice croaking, her vocal cords apparently also having fallen victim to the previous dark years.

"I beg of you...I must speak with Her Highness...must see her, need to tell her, want to save her..."

It seemed to the non-sense ramblings of a crazed survivor...but I found myself stiffening, at what was already becoming dangerously close to treacherous words against my Queen.

The woman was milling this way and that, but despite her blindness, seemed to miraculously stay balanced.

"They're coming...darkness from the east. After the Royal Family falls, they will come, they told me in my sleep...no, not told, I listened, but they didn't know I could hear them. They were speaking amongst themselves, said that they were going to act, now that the time'd come and the Hidden Ones have chosen exile rather than serve the Royal Family..."

The room had gone quiet, all eyes turned towards the woman - even the guards were just standing there, staring. She continued her rambling unchecked.

"You have to listen to me!" she cried.

There were no motions to stop her as she took a step forward and all but sank down onto the floor.

"They said that when the Sages turned their backs... w-when the heat of the Gerudo Deserts swept across Hyrule, when the swamps began to creep over the and into the Lakes..." she was gasping for breath, almost seeming to struggle against some unseen force. "T-They said...that she had dared disrupt their designs, becoming too powerful... and that-that..." A strangled groan, followed by an all too-familiar splattering noise, of blood against the marble floor: she was beginning to bleed from the eye sockets, the bandages starting to blossom red, as she fought to go on. "It's coming for you...have to warn her, savior...shadow from the east, a harbringer...its coming for you...downfall."

Just then, the guards snapped out of their trance and surrounded her, dragging her off. I looked over at the Queen.

Her fingers were clenched around the armrest edges, nails digging into the wood, her knuckles whitening, and I knew that underneath that veil, her face had gone pale...

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

**This chapter completed: 7/27/03**

Anyways, this won't be like SS, where I had a writing spurt and updated every two days, practically. This is more like "I'll update whenever I feel like it".

Reviews, or feedback in general are very much appreciated. There'll be very few author notes for the rest of the fic.

**--Wyna Hiros**


	2. A Warning

**A Warning**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters. This story, however, is my property and may not be used without my  
permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information in my profile.

* * *

** A Warning**

* * *

It was growing darker, the sun's last light fading as evening turned into night. I leaned against the wall, forcing myself to resist the urge to pace restlessly. Over twenty minutes had gone by and, save for the two guards, Her Majesty had all but thrown everyone out of the main Hall...

* * *

_It'd taken three of the guards to drag the screaming woman out, and even that wasn't easy. With the exception of a few hushed mutterings around the room, everyone had gone silent, their stares lifting to pin the Queen, waiting to see how she'd react._

_ "Leave me," her voice was cool, but there was a slight tremor that was unmistakable. Her hands clenched. Immediately, the guards began to herd the audience out._

_ I hesitated and looked back at her, even as everyone began to file out around me. The veiled face turned towards me._

_ "I said 'Leave me'," she snapped._

_ I bowed, and turned to go, a chill going down my spine - rarely had she ever commanded me to leave her side..._

* * *

I nearly missed the creak of the main Hall's door being opened. A guard poked his head out.

"Sir?"

I straightened up. "Yes?"

"Her Highness. She requests your presence once more."

"Thank you," I said. He only nodded and stepped aside, holding the door open. I brushed past him and entered the palace. With a heavy, almost final _thud_, the doors shut after me, the sound echoing through the sprawling chamber.

* * *

The main Hall was nearly empty, lit only by the half-moon beginning to shine behind the stained glass and the few scattered torches. I glanced around, wary from habit at such situations. With the exception of Her Majesty and myself, it was deserted.

I approached the dais slowly. Her Highness had not moved from it since I'd last seen her. She was tense, fingers still digging into the armrests, the veil fluttering before her face in a way that I knew she was forcing herself to take deep breaths. Most likely trying to calm herself and failing.

I stopped at the bottom of the dais' marble steps and half-knelt, head down. For several long moments, all I heard was her shuddering breathing, and then:

"That woman..."

"She's been removed from the premises, Your Highness," I was quick to reassure her. "They've detained her-"

I heard her shake her head, apparently not wanting to hear that. "...That woman...no...she's right, she _knows_."

I nearly looked up at her, startled, but managed to halt the motion in time, keeping my head down. "Your Highness?"

A rustle of motion as she shifted in the throne. "Did you not hear what she said?" A small shudder, her voice was trembling, with barely contained fear and... paranoia? "It's a prophecy."

Now I did look up. "A prophecy...?" I trailed off.

She looked down at me, noticing the little breach in protocol but for once didn't correct me of it. Instead, she nodded, silently giving me permission to speak.

I swallowed, trying to figure out how to phrase this without offending her. "If you'll excuse me, M'lady, but she seemed to be nothing more than a rambling, half-crazed woman. Many survivors are like that and this woman..."

Silence met that. I lowered my head, bit my lip behind the face cover.

"No, that isn't right... everything she said...has either come to pass or is about to happen. "

I didn't answer immediately, inwardly going over what the woman had said earlier - the fall of the Royal Family, the "Hidden Ones" and the Sages' desertion of Her Highness, the Gerudo desert seeming to spread and the growth of the swamps...

She was right: everything had either happened, or was on the verge of happening. The Royal Family had fallen, when the Dark One assaulted the castle that night, years and years ago - Impa and Her Highness had fled, leaving behind the Ocarina for Link. They had been the only survivors, the rest of the Royal Family slaughtered, slain in their sleep.

_ /And the "Hidden Ones"?/_

_Sheikah_, was my immediate, internal answer. The ones that had lived here, served alongside me had forsaken their vows and vanished: only I remained.

_ /And the Sages? Only Her Highness and I know of what they've done. So how could this woman...?/_

Already, that was the first indication that this just _might _not be the insane words of a shell-shocked woman. I frowned.

The fact that she'd known about the other two things, the oncoming drought that Her Highness had "seen" and fact that Lake Hylia was about to be overcome with swampland bothered me even more. The Lake had become a breeding ground of disease-carrying mosquitos: very few lived near the Lake now, much less knew of its slow destruction.

"It's a prophecy, I'm sure of it," Her Majesty's voice was shaking again, and she was beginning to lose herself. "The evil I've been sensing, growing, from the East. How could she have _known_? It's coming for me..._they've_ sent it, the Sages...they wish to kill me-!" She was starting to panic, terror and paranoid fury beginning to cloud her voice and judgment and I cut in, not wanting it to worsen.

"M'lady, the Sages cannot take that kind of action against one who has also received the blessing of the Triad," I said.

That nearly did it. The Queen slumped a little in the throne, though her knuckles were still white, fingers still clenched around the armrest.

"Y-You're right," she agreed slowly. She forced herself to take a deep breath, though I could tell that the fear had not gone down. "But there _is _something out there. I can sense it. It's been growing in strength...it's coming for me..."

A hesitation before she began to mutter under her breath: "What must I do, the Sages won't help me, but I can't be opposed like this, have to stop it before it gets to me-"

"You're not alone, Your Highness," I said firmly. She looked at me again, the cloth wall of the veil turning towards me again, startled out of her murmuring. "And I won't let this darkness you've been sensing, whatever it is, get you."

Another pause, and then, her voice almost calm, cold, steadier. "Can you promise this?"

I nodded. I'd served her ever since she took the throne and even before that, and I - in my heart- had sworn to always do so. "My duty is to ensure that your rule remains, Your Highness. Whatever you wish, I will see it done."

I could feel her gaze on me, hard and unwavering in its intensity, even when hidden behind the veil. "Then I wish for you to stop this prophecy. I don't care how, but just...just stop it."

The desperation, although she tried to hide it, was all too clear, and I winced mentally. "I will leave as soon as I can-"

"Tomorrow. It must be tomorrow."

Another mental wince. "Tomorrow then." I said.

She didn't move from the throne, only looked away. A dismissal. I stood up, bowed low, and left.

* * *

Shortly after that, I found myself headed towards the Captain of the Guard's headquarters, within the main gates to the castle: during the wait, after Her Highness had emptied the main Hall, I'd heard the guards talking - the woman was to be detained and questioned.

_/Why did you accept that command?/_

The night grew darker, the air more chilly as I walked down the dirt path, away from the castle. Although I was set on my destination, I wasn't so sure of the larger task at hand.

_/How can you even be sure of this "prophecy"?/_

_ Because the Queen has had visions, premonitions before, _my mind answered back. Because she was a Sage and the Queen of Hyrule, she possessed more magic and spiritual power than most. With the recent years and months, she'd grown even stronger. Her visions were accurate: she had predicted - although it hadn't been entirely clear at the time- the coming of the Dark One.

Her father refused to believe her, as did the rest of the Royal Family. Only Impa had realized the truth in her words.

One only had to look at who was alive here as proof.

_ /So it may or may not be a prophecy, but there _is_ something out there that she senses as a threat, to herself and Hyrule./_

I pushed open the door, and greeted the guards - The Queen would probably want to assign soldiers to go with me, and I knew her well enough to know that she'd want to choose them herself.

Which brought another thought to mind: how was I going to find this darkness she was seeing? Just keep going east until I could finally sense it for myself? Was that it?

My head was beginning to hurt from all the problems, the little doubts that were starting to sprout up.

I was guided down the hallway to the few holding cells, where the guards left to resume their positions. The cell was dark for the most part, with only the wavering light cast from a candle that was in danger of flickering out. Through the uneven wood bars, I could see that the woman was curled in a corner. My lips tightened into the beginnings of a frown. The guards hadn't changed the (still bloody) bandages over her eyes nor, from the look of it, treated her very gently.

"Ma'am?"

She stiffened and turned, uncurling a little, her head turning as she tried to find the sound of my voice.

"Yes? Who's there? P-please, don't hurt me, I didn't mean any harm."

My frown deepened at this, and I kept my tone as gentle as I could. "Just a servant of the Queen. I'd just like to replace those bandages and ask you a few questions. I promise, I intend you no harm."

The woman slowly made her way over on her hands and knees, reaching out tentatively with each little "step" to feel her way around with her hands, until she managed to reach the bars. The bandages covering the eye sockets were dark with dried blood, and I couldn't stop grimace that came to my face.

"If you can, could you remove the bandages?" She gave a little sound of agreement, and carefully began to do so. I unwound the Sheikah wrap from my hair, and took the soiled bandages that the woman held out for me.

"Here, lean closer to the bars." She obeyed, and I reached between them. I began to wind the wrap around her eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the sight of her emptied eye sockets that were still crusted with blood from what'd happened in the main Hall. I quickly finished, tying off the makeshift bandage. She leaned back a little to adjust it.

"Is it too tight?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. Thank you."

I knelt, "Would it be alright with you if I just asked you a few questions?"

"I'll... try to answer them." She seemed uncertain, still wary of me. "But I thought I answered everything the guards wanted to know..."

"Do you remember what happened, in the main Hall?"

"No...I-I remember just going to sleep last night, and then...finding myself here, being taken to this..." She gestured to the cell.

I blinked. "You don't remember anything?"

Another head shake. "No...I don't understand, what did I do? Why is Her Highness punishing me so?" Her face was pained, unconsciously tilting towards the guards down the hall.

_ /She ordered this treatment of this woman?/_

I didn't want to believe it, but I only had to look at the bruises all over the poor woman to see the truth. "She did this?"

The woman started to nod, then stopped mid-motion to shake her head. "Yes...no, _no_ , I don't know, I'm so confused!" She wailed.

I quickly asked another question, one randomly off the top of my head, in an attempt to distract her. "What did you do? Before all this?"

It seemed to work, as the woman quieted down, a hand going up to the bandages. "You mean, before I lost my eyes?" she asked.

I winced a little: I hadn't meant that, but she - luckily- didn't seem offended.

She went on, taking my pause for a "yes". "I used to be an attendant for Lord Rauru...but then the Dark One stormed the Temple of Time..."

I stopped her, before she could get reminded any further of whatever horrors she'd had to experience at his hands, wanting to spare her any further painful memories if I could. I thanked her, stood up, and left: there wasn't really anything I could do regarding her situation. It was up to Her Highness when she would release the woman. It was not my place to be asking favors of her Majesty, even if detaining someone like this was wrong.

The night air hit me like a wall, especially after having come from the fairly warm confines of the guards' room, though I took no heed of it: my mind was on what the woman had told me. Could it really be some other force speaking through her?

It was a possibility. But it didn't explain why she bled.

_/But she did have contact with the higher powers, even as an attendant.../_

That would explain some of this but...

I blinked, somewhat surprised, to find myself standing before the Temple of Time. Apparently, I'd unconsciously headed back towards the place where this all began.

I looked up at it; in the meager light of the half-moon, already shrouded with clouds, the shrine looked more than a little forbidding. In places, it was beginning to fall apart, the cement holding the stones together beginning to deteriorate. Here and there, weeds had taken root, cracks spidering up from them.

_ /A place like this, slowly rotting.../_

_ /Somehow it doesn't seem right./_

I shook off my misgivings, and entered the Temple, for the first time in four years...

* * *

The inside of the Temple, oddly enough, hadn't changed with the passage of time - though I suppose it was only fitting. However, unlike the years before, there was no sound of chanting or of divine voices raised in song.

Nothing, only the sound of my footsteps, and the almost unpleasant drone of the Spiritual Stones on the altar. I walked past them and up the stairs, into the chamber that contained the Master Sword. Even with the night sky half-obscured by clouds, a beam of cold light still managed to enter the room, and alight on the sacred weapon and its pedestal. I moved closer, to look upon it.

In four years, it hadn't changed.

Shortly before the Her Majesty's coronation- after the Kokiri had vanished into the night, bearing Link- the Master Sword had been returned to its pedestal. Almost immediately, the room had been filled with a grating, rattling sound...

...The Master Sword had petrified, forever locking it to the pedestal and the Temple itself.

My musing was broken off, by the sound of something faint rustling against the stone floor. I stiffened, a hand automatically reaching for the blades I kept hidden on me.

"It's me."

"Impa." My hand stilled its motion and dropped. I glanced out of the corner of my eye, towards my right. She was standing behind me, several feet away, arms folded and nearly hidden in the shadows. I flicked my gaze back, to the Master Sword.

"What're you doing here?" I asked.

"Merely paying my respects." Her answer was calm, collected, despite the fact that this was the first time we'd seen each other in months.

The silence hung for several minutes, neither of us spoke - somewhat randomly, I couldn't help but notice that the sacred sword no longer hummed with power.

_/...A dead weapon?/_

Impa finally spoke up.

"How is Link? Did you see him?" She asked.

That same age-old pang, of hurt and regret, went through me at just the mention of his name.

"I visited him three weeks ago." I answered. "He's unchanged."

Impa made a little "ah" sound, and said no more of it. However, I didn't let it end there.

"Where have you been, Impa?" I turned my head slightly towards her. "Why have you abandoned Her Highness?"

For a moment, she didn't answer, and instead, took a few steps towards me, coming into the meager light.

"I am a Sage foremost, and a servant of the Royal Family last," she finally said, her tone stiff. "The decision has been made, and there can be no help for someone who's become as damned as Zelda."

I looked at her now; I couldn't possibly be hearing this from the mouth of Her Highness' nursemaid. "Surely you don't mean that."

I felt the severity weaken, ever so slightly, in the other Sheikah. "No. I wish that it didn't have to be so." she paused, to gather her thoughts. "I believe there is still hope for m'lady, but the others are not so forgiving of her. We cannot help nor allow her into our ranks any longer. Not with what she's become... and not with what she desires in her heart."

I had fallen silent. She paused, actually hesitated before changing the subject, failing to mask the concern in her voice.

"How... is m'lady?" The Sage of Shadows, for the moment, had vanished, replaced by the faithful nursemaid.

"She's become worse. Especially after what happened today."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

I told her everything, from the woman's dark visions in the Main Hall during the petitioning to the visit I had paid her in the detaining cells. The entire time, Impa's eyes were focused intently on the Master Sword, though I knew that she was giving me her full attention.

When I'd finished, she cleared her throat, a thoughtful frown upon her face.

"What you've told me is more than a little disturbing. We've also been sensing disturbances in the east - however, the Three haven't given us any word, any other sign of what we Sages should do, other than to wait. They seem almost...distracted," she sighed, glancing up at the stained glass windows. I could tell that she was worried about this, as well as the fact that she'd not known about any of it until now. "I admit, the Triad have been quiet lately. We are not...always aware of their plans for this world. What you've told me seems to be correct, and m'Lady, despite her... state, hasn't lost her far-sight."

She looked away for a moment, looking uneasy. "I don't like the feel of all this. There is an oddness about this prophecy, this whole situation in general, but..." And now, she looked back at me, eyes burning into mine.

"While I can't approve of this mission of yours, I will give you some advice, from a friend to a friend - do not let your guard down. There is something strange about all this and...

...Things are not what they seem."

Her voice grew faint, and she began to fade before my eyes - leaving once more to return to the Sacred Realm and the other Sages. Immediately, I reached out to stop her; it was a pointless attempt, as my hand passed right through her.

She was gone, leaving me with only the cryptic warning and the sacred sword bound to its pedestal, petrified and no longer filled with the Goddesses' power...

* * *

+to be continued+ --

* * *

**This chapter completed: 8/6/03**

Feedback etc is much appreciated.

**--Wyna Hiros**


	3. The Yarshalan Marshes

**The Yarshalan Marshes**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters (Nintendo does): no money is made off this. This story, and any/all original side-characters and monsters, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information in my profile.

**Notes: ** Er, major, major liberties ahead. Namely I made Hyrule much larger: safe to assume that what you saw in the game was only a part of the entire world.

* * *

**The Yarshalan Marshes**

* * *

I watched the moon set from the doorway of the Temple of Time. Watched it crawl across the star-flooded sky, sometimes obscured by clouds, almost seeming to drown them...

But always making progress, inch by painfully slow inch, towards its inevitable destination.

Impa's words were on my mind, and I mulled over them. The fact that she and the other Sages'd actually sensed something.. Even more disturbing was the news that they hadn't heard from the Three. I found it hard to believe that their only order from Them would be to just sit by and wait during all this: they certainly hadn't done so four years ago.

But Impa would never lie to me, regardless of our opposing beliefs.

The moon was nearing the horizon now when the messenger found me. I saw him coming up the path, a look on his face that clearly said that he would've rather preferred not to come near the deteriorating Temple. As he drew closer, the expression changed, swinging to surprise - apparently he hadn't expected to find me here.

"Yes?"

He stopped on the crumbling steps. "Her Highness told me that I'd find you here..." Although he managed to wipe the look from his face, he failed to hide the disbelief in his voice. "She asked me to send word to you that she's seen personally to the preparations, and that you are to leave for Kakariko. She says that you are to meet with her chosen soldiers there and proceed with her command."

I finally looked away from the sinking moon. "And what of Her Highness?" I asked.

The boy blinked. "I'm sure she'll be fine, sir. I mean, there's plenty of guards here, right?"

I frowned behind the face cover at this, but had to let it go. "Alright. Please tell her Highness that it will be done. I'll leave immediately."

He bowed and left, hurrying away from what probably looked like a cursed place. I remained where I was for a few minutes, idling even though I'd said otherwise. I reached out and touched the wind-worn sides of one of the shrine's supports, for what could be the last time if I failed: we would probably be heading out into the fringes of the kingdom, possibly even beyond.

The chances of surviving tended to become much less as the distance from central Hyrule grew.

* * *

_ I rode out of the main gates, a little before the break of dawn. In the distance, I could just barely make out Lon Lon Ranch, the torches winking out one by one as morning approached, its inhabitants already awake and working._

_ It felt good to be out of the castle. It had been a long time since I'd felt the wind on my face like this, seeing the ground flash underneath my horse's hooves, with all Hyrule open to me. No longer did I have to worry about confining walls, proper protocol and petitioners. I had a greater purpose, a greater goal other than to solve a dispute between quarreling neighbors._

_ And it felt good._

* * *

I could see the carved stone steps - leading to Kakariko - through the morning mist, growing closer and closer with each yard. The mare I had chosen, while no Sheikah war-horse, was making good time.

Morning was not far behind me: I could see the telltale orange glow from behind Death Mountain as I dismounted, and carefully lead the mare up the long flight of stairs. It took some time, but I didn't want to risk my only mount mis-stepping and breaking a leg just because of impatience.

The sun'd just begun to peek out, a tiny sliver of fire above the horizon line, by the time we made it to the top. I led the mare to the public stables (already filled - I noticed right away that several of the horses bore the crest of the Royal Family), and tied the reins to one of the posts, heading over to the only bar/inn that Kakariko had managed to rebuild.

The inn was one of the few buildings in all of Kakariko proper that had managed to escape the Dark One's reign fairly unscathed. However powerful he'd been, even the Black King knew that it was foolish to leave an occupying army unhappy. He had spared the inn, but hadn't shone the same mercy on the rest of the town. Aside from the inn, only the graveyard had been left untouched.

I pushed open the heavy oak doors. From the looks of it, the town was still not quite awake: with my exception, only a few of the early-risers were up and about the common room. I headed over to the bar, and leaned against it, intending to wait. The bartender, a fairly young woman (at least five years younger than me) flounced over to take my order; water, even if I was going to have to pay for it - I knew better than to travel Hyrule under the influence.

I looked at the clock as she left. I hadn't missed the appreciative look she'd thrown my way, nor was it welcome. I could only hope that my assigned companions would hurry and wake up, as I didn't look forward to gawky stares from the barmaid.

* * *

Unfortunately, I ended up waiting a few hours, more and more people straggling down for breakfast. I found myself engaged in a rather one-sided ( the older woman seemed content to just be able complain to someone about her husband) conversation, all the while feeling the bartender's eyes sliding over towards me every now and then.

It was late morning when they came down. By now, the woman'd left me, finding a better audience with one of the waitresses, leaving me alone with my barely-touched water. I heard someone coming down the stairs- rather loudly- and then;

A heavy hand fell on my shoulder, and roughly spun me around.

I felt my eyes begin to narrow almost immediately at this unwelcome surprise, and a rare look of annoyance crossed my half-hidden face - one that was equally mirrored in the hand's owner as we stared at each other in dislike.

_/Nolan./_

_ /Why'd it have to be _him?/

A cousin of the Captain of the Guard, and just as unfortunately, quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the ranks of the Her Highness' guards. He was a little older than me, and much, much larger: as a soldier under the Royal Family's command, strength, rather than speed, was emphasized.

_/I should've known. After all, he's one of Her Majesty's favorites.../_

Almost as soon as the movement had ended, I brushed his hand off me. The scowl on his face grew, his gray eyes unable to stifle the obvious distaste.  
Even after years of service to the Her Highness, many of the guards still didn't trust me, didn't trust what they considered to be moral-less wanderers. Nolan just happened to be the more vocal out of all of them.

"Well, if it isn't the Queen's royal lapdog," he bit out lowly.

I forced myself to keep calm, and stare at him levelly. "I see you've been assigned to her command for this."

"What, you mean this crazy little 'mission'? Travel east and get rid of this little 'harbringer' whenever we find it?" he snorted derisively. "You know, I think Queenie's finally lost it."

He immediately found himself pulled up close against me by the collar; to the sleepy common room, it must've looked like two lovers suddenly sharing a tender moment. The folds of his cloak hid the fact from the rest of the room that he suddenly found a knife, cruelly jagged and curved in the Sheikah fashion, at his throat, pressing just hard enough to barely escape drawing blood.

"Don't _ever_ speak so rudely of the Queen. You will speak of her as 'Her Highness' or 'Her Majesty'," I murmured coldly.

He just glared at me, the dislike only growing even stronger. After a moment, I released him, flicking the blade out of sight and looked away, as the rest of his companions came down. Out of the three of the newcomers, only one I recognized - Marcus, a bearded man in his early fifties, and to my knowledge, the one with the most years of service to Her Majesty.

While I knew that he didn't approve of me, he tended to be the more level-headed.

I looked over at the other two, and winced. I could tell from just looking at them, from the way they carried themselves to the way they stared at me openly, that these were fairly new recruits. The kind that shouldn't be on this kind of assignment so early. But as much as I disliked the arrangement, they were here to stay. They joined us, and Marcus held out his hand with a polite smile, which I shook - the movement was brief and clipped, but I found this kind of polite tolerance much easier to take than Nolan's outright aversion.

"Good to have you on our side for this," said Marcus.

"The same," I answered, just as neutrally, my eyes flicking to the two next to him. Marcus followed the glance.

"Reln and Terin." They were still staring at me. I gave them a slight nod, before looking back to Marcus.

"I assume you've taken care of your supplies then?" I asked. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a flash of irritation pass over Nolan's face at seemingly being brushed aside.

Marcus nodded, "Aye, we've already seen to it. I take it we're leaving immediately?"

"As soon as possible would be best--" And I was interrupted, by a red-faced Nolan.

"Who do you think you are, ordering us around?" he cut in. "We're the ones who slave away, day in and day out, while you just sit back at the castle - why the hell should we have to listen to a little lapdog like you?"

I said nothing to this - however false these accusations were, there wasn't a point in trying to refute them: he clearly believed them, and my response would only make it worse.

He leaned close, glaring down at me."You know, if it weren't for us keeping order, you'd have been run out with the rest of your scum long before the Hero of Time came!"

My mouth twitched at just the mention of Link.

"Now that's not true-" Marcus started. Already, several people were starting to look our way.

"If I recall correctly, it was 'our scum' that saved you all when the Dark One stormed the Temple of Time," I said quietly. "But perhaps you've forgotten that: seven years spent in hiding tends to flash by, doesn't it?"

Nolan's scowl grew even more.

Marcus stepped in, trying to diffuse the already tense situation, "This is probably best discussed outside."

However polite this was, his tone left no room for protests.

* * *

Once outside, Reln produced a map of Hyrule, though it had the worn look of one much used: likely a gift from his training officer. Both Reln and Terin had remained silent during the cold exchange in the bar, and from the way they avoided looking or talking to me, they were already intimidated.

I gave a mental sigh and knelt down by Reln as he spread the map across the dirt, the soldier taking time to mark our position.

"So we're going east?" Terin asked.

I nodded, though it was Marcus who spoke up: "There're some towns on the other side of Death Mountain. We should stop by and see if we can pick up any hints, anything useful."

Reln made two more marks on the map at the elder soldier's indication.

I saw Marcus, out of the corner of my eye, turn and look at Nolan. "So that's settled?"

All he got was a grudging and terse, "Fine."

* * *

Shortly after, I headed over to the stables to check on the mare, the others leaving to attend to last minute affairs.

...Only to find Nolan waiting for me, standing next to my horse, mailed arms crossed over his chest and an ugly look on his face.

"Can I help you?" I asked, barely managing to keep the strain from my voice. He was standing in my way, and didn't budge - I ended up brushing my way past him to slip in next to my mount.

"I don't know what it is you're planning, but if you think you're going to drag us around like this, then you're in for a rude awakening..." Nolan started angrily.

And that's when I realized it - the reason why he'd waited to get me alone.

_/He feels his leadership is threatened by me./_

This revelation was not a welcome one. Nolan was known to make some less than wise decisions, known to have acted rashly due to his impatience. I'd found it out firsthand during the Dark Years. I trusted myself to make better judgments, but if anything, I knew that that would only make this whole situation worse.

_/Any further conflict would divide the group./_

And that would severely hinder accomplishing this task. That in itself was unacceptable.

I looked away, my attention focused on tightening one of the Sheikah buckles on the mare's saddle, "I'm not planning anything: I'm only following Her Majesty's orders," I hesitated for a brief moment, and then: "And I don't plan on dragging anyone anywhere...sir."

I saw him, at the edge of my vision, start to open his mouth to snap back at me, only to shut it almost immediately and look at me suspiciously, as it dawned on him: instead of insisting on leading the group, I'd just submitted and offered him leadership.

The glower darkened, but he said nothing, and turned away to saddle up his own horse, as the other rejoined us.

* * *

It took us over three days to cross Death Mountain. Three days, and the volcano was ominously silent as we carefully guided the horses through the winding passes, the ever-present ring of ash lazily circling the summit seeming even blacker than the dark ages before.

No sounds of rock-crunching, of the earth rumbling under Goron feet.

Silence.

It was more than eerie, and Terin complained loudly about this. Death Mountain - to all appearances - seemed abandoned, though once or twice while scouting ahead for the group, I'd catch tiny glimpses of gentle brown eyes peering at us from the craggy overhangs above.

As soon as I caught the stares, they would vanish almost immediately.

I said nothing of this to the rest of the group. While Death Mountain was not as deserted as it seemed, we were clearly not welcome here.

It was at the third day, as we stopped to let the horses refresh themselves at a small spring, when Reln brought out the map again to verify our position. He seemed troubled, hunched over the map he'd laid out on the rock, making scattered marks, corrections and erasures on the map. Every now and then, he'd look up for one of the others: however, they'd scattered somewhat around the trail, Terin and Nolan both in fairly foul moods after a small disagreement earlier.

"This doesn't seem right," he finally broke the silence. All of our eyes turned towards Reln, who was frowning back down at the map. I stood up, and joined him along with Marcus, kneeling down by his side.

He pointed, at a large blank area, on the parchment. "Our path, as it is now, would lead us through this blank area," he paused, looking perplexed. "I don't understand. I'm almost certain that this was supposed to be a completed map."

I tilted the map towards me a little, and regarded the blank area. "...It's blank for a reason."

Reln looked at me in surprise, Marcus's attention remaining on the map. I continued, indicating the region with a bandaged finger. "If I'm right...the reason it's blank is because it's never been explored successfully. I believe this region is the Yarshalan Marshes."

"Oh really? And just how do you know this?" Nolan was suddenly standing above us, his tone suspicious.

"The fact that what should be a standard issue Hylian map is incomplete would be one hint - people have entered the area, but never made it past the borders: it's obviously very dangerous. I know for certain that it's swampland from the few times I've seen it from afar. And..." And now it was my turn to hesitate, knowing what I had to say next .

"Well?" he pressed.

"There was once a folklore among my people, of a race of creatures who lived on Death Mountain long ago," I slowly said. "My ancestors called them the Yarshalan, or 'man-slayers': they were man-eaters, masters of camouflage, wild and savage in their ways, in the way of a mindless hunter. The mountain was unapproachable for thousands of years, because of this."

I could feel Nolan's scowl growing. Reln pressed on, eyes wide. "And?"

"And the Gorons came, and the Yarshalan were driven off their mountain. In the end, they retreated to the wastelands beyond Death Mountain, where they vanished," I finished.

For a moment, silence.

"And you're suggesting... what?" Nolan asked dryly.

I looked him in the eye. "This doesn't feel right. We must go around."

Nolan's face only darkened even more, and he looked down at the map. "From the looks of it, it would be faster to just go through it. Are you suggesting that we take a longer route just because of some foolish Sheikah wives' tales?"

_/We shouldn't go this way./_

I was not being superstitious. Even if it was something else and not Yarshalan, the swamp was too dangerous to cross. Ever since Reln had pointed out the uncharted mass at Death Mountain's base, something inside had begun nagging at me, with the warning that this was a place that should _not_ be entered. I knew this almost inner-tingling from memory: my intuition had saved me countless times before.

_ /We _can't_ go this way./_

The others were looking at me, even Terin from across the path.

"No, sir," I finally said with some difficulty, swallowing down my original response and looking away. "I just think we should be cautious about entering the area."

His eyes narrowed, the dislike growing, changing into something even darker. But he held his tongue and changed the subject, snapping at everyone to get ready to continue. I could feel him staring at my back as I stood up.

* * *

A day later, the edges of a swampland began to appear. The air was growing more and more humid as we left the Mountain, reeds and blackened grass beginning to appear more frequently. The ground suddenly changed from the firm stone of Death Mountain to yielding peat and soil. It was here that my horse balked suddenly, nearly throwing me off: it was only my quick reflexes that allowed me to grab the reins and hold on enough to control her. But no matter how I urged her, she refused to go further, sides shivering and her ears flat against her skull.

The others'd stopped by now and Nolan came up along me as I began to dismount and transfer the lightest, most necessary supplies over to carry myself.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

I grabbed the reins, "Releasing her. There's no point in trying to force her to enter. She'll be more a hindrance than help in here."

Nolan sneered. "Aren't all Sheikah war-horses supposed to be fearless?"

Not bothering to correct him, I landed a fairly tame blow against the mare's rump, and she took off galloping, in the opposite direction.

"Sir, with all due respect, being fearless and being wise are two different things entirely." I said. My eyes flicked towards his horse. "And I would suggest doing the same. With all that armor, they may be weighed down."

He laughed it off, humorlessly. "I don't think so." And now his tone grew colder. "We carry on."

* * *

The day grew longer as Nolan lead the way, and the afternoon arrived, the air blistering and almost crackling with heat as we trudged deeper and deeper into the swamplands, the sky becoming overcast, almost black with ash from Death Mountain. Already, we'd nearly lost a horse in the bogs: Reln and I had managed to rescue it in time from the unstable ground after hearing its panicked squeal.

I couldn't help but notice that as we journeyed deeper into the wasteland, all of their mounts' eyes began to widen and roll a little, with increased distress.

_/They can sense it too../_

The realization did not make me feel any less anxious.

Several more hours passed, with evening fast approaching. After nearly losing two more horses, I'd been commanded to switch places and guide the group through. We were not quite in the heart of the marshes, the sun beginning to vanish behind the distant forest. I was beginning to feel ill from the fumes the swamp was giving off, but I said nothing of it as I carefully found ground sturdy enough to take on the combined weight of a horse and solder.

But we were making progress now, and no longer did I hear the sound of a horse suddenly mired in a bog up to their knees. It was growing slightly cooler as well, as the day drew to a close: the sky above us only grew darker, black as pitch, the moon and the stars drowned out.

I managed to find a fairly secure "clearing": some dirt patches, scattered boulders, and patches of reeds and grass that were oddly springy to the the slightest touch and gave off a foul, rotting stench - I'd seen many of these mounds throughout the day's travel. I made a face at this, but from what I could see in the fading light, this was the only solid enough area for miles around that was large enough to take the entire group.

The horses were limping now, and stopped near one of the mounds, huddled painfully, their heads half lowered with weariness. My companions dismounted, their movements also stiff. I took the time to set my things down before taking off to find anything suitable for firewood.

* * *

I came back twenty minutes later with a fairly large bundle of weeds: I'd found them growing around the surrounding bogs, the cesspools all but covered over with a deceptively solid blanket of sickly-green mist. Immediately I started a small fire, wordlessly, taking care to keep it confined and as smokeless as possible. The burning weeds smelled foul, but I doubted it could overpower the stench of the swamps. Marcus had taken a tumble into one of the bogs when his horse had fallen in earlier, and I knew that, if left unattended, he could grow sick over night.

The colder, more efficient side of me would not allow that, as it would only impede Her Highness' command.

He scooted up closer with a mumbled "thanks", soon followed by Terin and Reln: the two looked even more miserable than Marcus. I took my place, somewhat farther from the fire, half-perched on a boulder; I was too much on edge to sleep here.

* * *

A few minutes had passed when they began to warm up and settle down, and try to fill the silence with idle conversation. I didn't participate, intent on the marshes around. Every little sound, every little bubble and belch from the land that spewed more miasma out into the air... I listened to them all, carefully reading them for the sign of a threat. I closed my eyes, trying to pick the night sounds apart, frowning a little behind the face cover.

There was this almost fleshy noise from beyond the mist, of something slithering unevenly across the swamps. And it bothered me. I concentrated on that one sound, trying to identify it, slowly shutting off all others from around me...

My eyes snapped open as the moment was shattered, at a forced and overly loud laugh followed by a question from Terin across the clearing. The near-silence I'd been on the verge of vanished, the night flooding back, and the worrying noise from before all but drowned out by the marshes around us.

I sighed mentally. "What?"

Terin repeated his question, hesitantly. "Um, what about you? Is there anyone waiting for you when this all over? Family?"

"No. Nearly all of them were wiped out by the plague. I haven't heard from the survivors since."

"You know, they probably went the way your little 'friends' went when they left her Majesty," Nolan said, either missing or ignoring the warning glare from Marcus.

I stood up slowly, jaw set to keep my emotions under control, unable to take any more of this.

"Where're you going?" Marcus asked.

"I'd just like some time alone," was my terse reply.

I managed to get several feet away from the makeshift clearing when Nolan grabbed me by the shoulder and forced me to face him. The firelight was behind him, practically obscuring his face but I knew that he was scowling down at me.

"If you think I'm stupid enough to let you go off alone like that, you're dead wrong," he growled. Nolan leaned in closer and I could see the barely concealed hatred in his eyes. "I know you're planning something: I'm sure you'd love the excuse to run off and join the rest of your traitorous friends."

"I have no intention of doing so," I said. "I'm only-"

He cut me off, "'Carrying out her Highness' orders'? Like a good little puppydog? That's what you'd like all of us to believe."

"What are you implying?"

"You're orchestrating all of this. You Sheikah've always been manipulating sons of bitches. Always on your own little agenda." He was growing louder, his tone nasty. "Just know this; if you double-cross us, I will make sure that you regret it."

The air was beginning to get more humid and foul, the mist more dense. Oddly enough, I was beginning to catch odd flashes, of almost shimmering specks, akin to sparks, begin to almost dance in the air around the camp.

My eyes narrowed and returned to Nolan, my voice deadly calm. "Is that a threat, sir?"

Whatever he said next, I missed completely, my glance flicking back to see Reln and Terrin standing up, looking around in wonder at the sparkling particles beyond the clearing, and I managed to catch the word "...Fairies!" drift back.

My stomach grew cold at those words, and I tried to push past Nolan, as the two began to leave.

"Wait! Don't get separated!" I yelled. But it was too late, they'd vanished into the dark fog. Marcus stood up and hurried after them to bring them back.

"What're you afraid of? That these fairies'll show us the way out? Seems your little plan failed," Nolan sneered.

...Several things happened at once, as soon as the last words left his mouth.

...The horses suddenly shrieked and went into a panic, eyes rolling, and hooves lashing as they broke their ties and charged out of the firelight and into the night...

...A human scream, followed by another - no words, just the sound of pure terror, followed by the sounds of armor being rended...

...The sloshing sound from before was suddenly loud, overpowering and surrounding the clearing, the air filled with the stench of rotting flesh, and I heard the squeals of horses, panicked and in agony...

...More screams shattering the night, one suddenly cut off, the sounds of bodies being torn apart...

Nolan's eyes went impossibly wide at this, mouth slackening as he looked around in confusion, seeing nothing but the fog and the dancing lights. And then they snapped back to me, filled with both fear and hatred.

He suddenly lunged at me and too late, I saw his hand go for the dagger at his belt. "You did this!" he roared. "You used your witchcraft to bring us here!"

I managed to twist a little, avoiding what would've been a killing blow, my ankle sending up a flash of pain from the uneven ground. However, it still hit home, the blade sinking to the hilt into my right arm, and dragging downwards. I could feel blood starting to go down my arm and soak into my clothes.

I pushed him away, managing to kick him sharply in the stomach where the breastplate ended, the dagger grating against my bone for a brief second before being knocked into the darkness. The motion sent Nolan stumbling back a few feet, towards the fire...

...And that's when I saw _it, _silhouetted against the flames, standing behind the soldier. It was hulking, at least four feet taller than him, seemingly to be nothing more than a large mass with overhanging arms, made up reeds and rotting grass, a mouthful of bloodied fangs glimmering in the meager light. The stench from the mounds that I'd seen scattered all over the swamps, of death and decay, was overpowering in its presence.

_ /Masters of camouflage.../_

Nolan stepped towards me, to press another attack.

And stopped, upon seeing the pale look on my face and hearing the fleshy slithering sound behind him. He didn't even have a chance to turn. From the ground between us, another creature rose up in front of him.

Nolan started to scream, the sound almost inhuman with pain. I leapt forward to free him, the Sheikah blade appearing in my hands.

And I struck, landing several blows in succession, until my blade snapped. All around me, I could feel more of these things approaching from the fog. The monster showed no sign of noticing that I'd even attacked it and Nolan continued to scream, the sound, coupled with the noise of his armor being pried apart, reaching a new high.

The scream suddenly cut off into a bloody gurgle, followed by the sounds of a body being ripped apart and of flesh being devoured. The ground trembled underneath my feet, as more rose up from the marshes around me, rumbling. I scrambled out of the way, as one of the creatures from behind me lashed out, trying to snare me in its arms. More were appearing out of the fog around the campfire, sloshing over towards me...

There had to be at least twenty here, with more on the way. The creature, the one that I'd tried to distract, turned, reaching for me with a gory arm, a clump of bloodied hair caught between its teeth...

...And for the first time in my life, I fled.

* * *

_ I practically flew over the swamps, clutching my injured arm, and ignoring the pain from my twisted ankle. I could hear them lumbering after me, the night filled with the sounds of reeds slithering, claws tearing at the swamp, and the creatures chittering back and forth at each other as they pursued._

_ I could begin to pick out a darker body, of trees, off to the distance and I sped up, weaving and doing all I could to throw the monsters off._

_ But, after twenty minutes, of a nearly all-out sprint, I was beginning to tire, my breathing labored and painful, and I was beginning to feel faint from my wound and the miasma...  
_

_ But still, I continued to run._

_ Because I knew that the moment I slowed, they would catch up and devour me._

_ I sped up, spurred myself on, forcing myself to go faster._

* * *

The swamp began to gradually change, and I found my feet connecting with solid ground as I staggered into the forest, feeling like my heart was going to pound itself out of my chest. The sloshing sound stopped and I turned, to see eight of the creatures standing at the marshes' edges, heads turned towards me, waving this way and that as I moved farther and farther away from them.

I continued, lightheaded and overheating, aimlessly wandering deeper into the forest, clutching my right upper-arm, sticky with blood, and limping.

It wasn't long until I managed to catch the sound of flowing water. Automatically, I painfully made my way towards it, distantly knowing that I was in danger of dehydrating. Overhead, the clouds, darkened by the ashes, began to disappear and a half moon peaked out, the forest brightening a little.

I saw it through the trees, patches of pale blue against the grass. I drew closer, the patches becoming a large spring of mountain water. There were splashes, and I unconsciously stiffened as I approached.

And I stopped short, at the water's edge, almost wanting to laugh at the absurdity of what I saw: after the horrors of the marsh, I couldn't believe this. There was someone, a Hylian, bathing in the spring. For a moment, I just stood there, studying him cautiously, noting the golden hair, the elegant Hylian ears, the well-muscled body...

_ /He seems familiar.../_

And I couldn't quite figure out why at first.

And then, for a moment, his head turned ever so slightly, and I saw the side of his face. My heart suddenly froze in my chest.

"Link?!"

* * *

+to be continued+

* * *

**This chapter completed: 8/19/03**

Thanks to Rydia for giving me Terin's name.

**--Wyna Hiros**


	4. Link

**Link**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters (Nintendo does): no money is made off this. This story, and any/all original side-characters and monsters, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information in my profile.

* * *

**Link**

* * *

I sat down. Hard.

_ / This isn't possible!/_

At the sound of his name, he turned, blinking, his hand stopped mid-motion on his shoulder as he looked back. "Sheik?"

_ /No. This can't be him.../_

I couldn't believe this. Refused to believe it, as I shakily climbed to my feet, favoring my ankle, my wounded arm throbbing painfully: with all the running, it hadn't had a chance to scab over, only opening even more.

Link waded closer, an amused grin on his face. "You know, that has to be one of your most ungraceful entrances ever."

_ /I must be seeing things...the fumes from the swamps...this.../_

"Link..." I finally managed to find my voice, shaking my head. "No. This isn't happening. You can't be real!"

His eyes - so blue to the point that they were almost purple - widened in surprise. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

I was backing away now, wavering on my feet. "You _can't_ be here, I just saw you!"

He took a step forward, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What're you talking about? What's going on?"

Another unsteady step back, away from him, into the water. My injured ankle gave out and I found myself falling.

Only to find myself stopped as Link had quickly closed the distance between us and caught me before I fell, holding me tight enough against him to prevent me from breaking free. Vaguely, I saw him look at my ankle, my arms, my clothes, concern clear amongst the bewilderment on his face.

"You're hurt..."

I only stared at him, shakily reached out to touch his cheek, expecting my hand to pass right through it...

It was solid.

I shook my head furiously and pushed against his chest with my left arm, trying to free myself. It was becoming hard to breath; I was starting to hyperventilate. "No, no, _no_. How can you be here?! I saw you fall! I saw them carry you away!"

He grabbed my wrist, trying to calm me down as I struggled, saying...something...

I couldn't hear it; his mouth was moving but it seemed like nothing was coming out. My vision was graying, filling with static. The toll on my body, the wounds, miasma, exhaustion, shock...it all came crashing together, and I found myself rapidly sinking into the welcome void...

* * *

I slowly came to, disoriented, my eyes opening as the world spun for a moment. I blinked slowly, my head lolling, staring at the ground as it moved past me in slow, uneven intervals, barely managing to catch the almost distant rustling noises from the leaves on the forest floor, the sound strangely muffled. Another blink, and I lifted my head a little, dazedly looking out the corner of my eye.

Vaguely, my mind pointed out that Link hadn't vanished, like I'd half-expected. Instead he had gotten dressed, and was gamely half-carrying, half-dragging me through the forest. He had one arm wrapped around my waist, the other clamped down on my right arm, which he'd slung over his shoulder. The entire right sleeve and bandages of my clothes had been completely stained with blood, an odd pulsing sensation coming from my upper arm.

...The throbbing suddenly clarified, my vision clearing, sound coming back. and I nearly screamed, at the never-ending stabs of pain coming from the long stab wound on my arm, washing through me, over and over. It was all I could do to hold the cry of pain back as it started to bubble up: Link had accidentally gripped my arm to help him carry me, his fingers digging into the wound - he probably hadn't been able to tell where the gash was.

I nearly blacked out again at the rush of pain.

"L-Link..." I managed to gasp out, weakly. "...Your hand..."

I gritted my teeth as he blinked- for a moment not understanding- another wave of pain crashing over me. And then he hurriedly moved his hand, mercifully away from the gash, as realization set it. "Geez, Sheik, I'm sorry!"

I didn't say anything in response. Panting, I tried to take some deep breaths as the stabs of pain faded, back to the dull throbbing. He continued to carry/drag me through the forest, as I gathered my wits about me. Link. I had to focus on him.

I snuck a glance at him: for all I knew, this might not be him, but someone trying to masquerading as him.

There was only one way to find out.

* * *

It was early morning when Link stopped, although it was more for my benefit than his; I was beginning to feel chills going up and down my body, and a headache was starting to appear - I didn't want to even think about what my wound and ankle looked like.

Gently, he eased me down against a tree trunk, carefully avoiding my upper arm. For a moment, he only stood there looking down at me, a frown on his face.

And then, after a minute; "I'm going to find something to help your wound. I'll be right back."

Again, I said nothing, only watched him turn and vanish amongst the trees. I leaned back, resting my head against the tree at my back, and felt my forehead. A wince crossed my face. I was burning up, more so with each passing minute. Bacterial infection - from the swamps most likely, an insect bite possibly, as well as the sudden change in temperatures tacked onto that...

A minute passed, and another. I was growing uncomfortable, tensed despite the fever and the growing haziness in my head. Something was odd here...

Something about this forest wasn't right.

And that's when I realized what was wrong: the forest was dead silent - no sounds of animals rooting about, no birds, no insects...

Nothing.

A chill went down my back, and I felt my body begin to stiffen automatically, on alert. I'd noticed similar behavior several times before, especially during the Dark Ages...always in the proximity of a major predator or...

_ /...in the presence of something inhuman./_

Link returned then, with a small bundle of leaves, causing me to start. My attention went back to him as he crossed the clearing, the sound of his feet seeming too loud against the eerie silence of the forest. However, I knew better than to dismiss the troubling observation so easily, even as he knelt by me to apply the herbs.

I looked him in the eye, my voice soft. "Who are you?"

He stopped and blinked, a startled look upon his face. "What?"

I struck then, the movement a blur, ignoring the wave of nausea and pain the action sent through me. In one motion, I grabbed his arm with one hand and pulled him close, my other hand going to his neck and pulling the collar down to expose the left side of his neck.

It lasted less than a second, and I'd released him before he even had a chance to make any sound of protest, sinking back weakly against the tree.

_/The scar's there. /_

My resolve wavered as I was overcome for a moment with dizziness. Only he and I knew of its existance, which would mean...

The world spun crazily, and I could feel the darkness pulling again at me. But I pushed it down for a few seconds more, resisting the lure that the fever promised me: a brief rest from the worsening chills and the pounding in my head.

"How did you get that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from trembling.

Link, if anything, looked even more surprised, and confused. "You gave it to me, remember? When we first met."

Of course I remembered. I'd nearly attacked him inside the Temple of Time, thinking he was another of the Dark One's spies, somehow having managed to slip past the wards of the shrine.

_ /It is him./_

The realization was too much. After so long...

I couldn't hold out any longer. My vision narrowed, static, sparks dancing across, blinding me even after I closed my eyes - my limbs had lost feeling, all sound fading, down to the roar of a nonexistent ocean, followed by the sensation of weightlessness...

* * *

I'd only passed out for a few seconds apparently, feeling even more sick in the stomach as my eyes opened to find Link righting me, propping me back against the tree trunk, if anything looking even more worried. I let him, slumped back against the rough bark, feeling uncertain, numb... drained all of a sudden and lightheaded.

"What happened...?" I asked hazily.

He blinked for a moment, then frowned, concerned and doing little to hide it. "I'm not really sure. You just ...You went pale all of a sudden. Your eyes just sort of rolled back and you started to fall over."

"Oh."

He continued. "You have to get to a town somehow. I mean, you seem really sick." And he glanced at the stab wound on my arm, still glistening with half scabbed-over blood. "And that looks pretty bad. I'll try to help it but...you'll have to let me."

I said nothing, only nodded.

Link resumed his position, taking several leaves and breaking them, squeezing the pulp out into his palm. He gave my arm a pointed look, and I gingerly pried the bloody cloth out of the wound and parted it for him, careful despite the returning dizziness. He dipped his fingers into the thick liquid in his hand, and began to rub it against the nasty gash. I hissed sharply, as he made contact with the wound, pain flaring up from the almost tolerable pulsing. Link ignored it, and continued to apply the rancid gel.

I watched him work, staring, the stench from the plant saps strong enough to keep me awake for now - it was still hard to accept that this really was him, solid, awake after so many years.

_ /But how?/_

Something was going on here: by all means, he shouldn't even be walking around...

It was Link who broke the silence first however, though his attention was on my arm.

"What did you mean, with all that you said before at the fountain?" he asked. Hesitated for a moment. "When you said that...that I wasn't supposed to be here?"

I looked up, startled despite the growing nausea. "You don't remember?"

He shook his head, finishing up with my arm and wiping his hand on the grass to clean the blood and plant residue off. "All I remember is fighting _Him._ And then nothing," he seemed uneasy. "It was like this patch of darkness..."

"Just darkness?" I repeated, doubtfully. Although it sounded like a black out, I couldn't bring myself to believe it: one did not just simply pass out for several years and then wake up like this, out in the middle of nowhere.

Link shook his head. "No. I'd see these lights, every now and then. I think there were three of them... They seemed a lot like Navi, in the way they glowed and moved about. But larger, brighter. It seemed like they were saying something to me, but I couldn't make out what it was..."

My eyebrows furrowed.

_ /Could it be the Three?/_

He stopped for a moment, looked me in the face, watching for my expression. "And the next thing I knew, I found myself outside this forest, with this feeling that there was something I have to do..."

I'd gone silent, trying not to shiver from the chills.

Link didn't let it drop. "You know something, don't you Sheik?" When I didn't answer, he pressed on even further, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Tell me. I need to know what happened."

I sighed. "You really don't know, do you?"

He only shook his head.

_ /The Goddesses can be cruel, can't they?/_

I told him everything, of how Impa and I had come to the castle, how we had helped to anchor the Sages' power...all up to the point where he had suddenly collapsed...

The entire time, Link had listened carefully, looking more and more uneasy as I went on. Finally, when I'd finished, he frowned. "I don't understand. I don't remember that happening at all," he paused, realizing something. "Wait. How long'veI been like this?"

When there was no immediate answer, his brow furrowed. "I trust you, Sheik. Please. I need to know."

The words, so familiar, from long ago, made me start.

Still, I couldn't help but hesitate a little. "...It's been four years."

Link's face went pale. " 'Four years'?" He sat back on his knees, looking ill. "Four...years..."

"I'm sorry, Link." I said. The words seemed weak, shallow, useless. Once again, Link had been robbed of more time. For someone who'd supposedly mastered time, he was at its mercy more than the rest of us.

"I think...I think I need to be alone." He finally said. He was quiet, subdued, as he stood up, an unreadable expression on his face.

I didn't stop him as he left, his form quickly vanishing into the fading gloom of the forest. I only slumped back against the tree trunk, uncertain and feeling drained all of a sudden, as well as...pity?

I thought about that for a moment, with a small frown, not liking the direction my thoughts were taking. Link deserved my respect, not my sympathy.

And yet, I knew that deep down, regardless of what I tried to tell myself, I'd always pitied him. I'd always wondered how he could manage to keep his head... wondered even more how he'd almost always seemed to keep his spirits up, even with the knowledge that he was merely a pawn. That others were using him.

Even I was guilty of that, during those times...

_ /...It was necessary. You know that./_

I knew it was. But I'd never liked it, even if it was for the good of Hyrule. It hadn't ever seemed right.

Even if it'd been to save Hyrule from the Dark One, no one deserved what Link had had to go through. He'd arrived at the Temple of Time as a child, wearing only the guise of a man. When he'd left to fight the Black King, he'd left as an adult. I'd to watch as the naivety, the innocence slowly died and faded from him, as he was forced to mature. And I let it happen.

Link knew that he was being manipulated. Used by all of Hyrule, one boy sacrificed for the good of the masses. He knew it, and still he'd smile, though sometimes it was unreadable, neutral; one had to wonder exactly what was going on through his head...

_ /...Stop that./_

What?

_/...Speaking of him like that, as if he's still gone./_

It was still hard to think of Link as a person right now, here, now, real to the touch - not a half-living body lying in the care of the Forest Children, or a memory. The shock was still slow to wear off. Regardless of the fact that he was here and very much awake, it _had_ been four years.

I blinked hazily, against the dizziness at the fringe of my consciousness, the rank odor of the sap starting to fade. Around me, the forest was still deathly silent: it was all I could do to resist my instincts and try to bolt.

I was still not too quick to accept that this was all happening. Although I'd touched him (he was no fever-induced hallucination) and checked, verifying the scar's location, I couldn't help but remain uneasy. Even his reaction was genuine.

And yet, Link's explanation didn't sit too well with me.

He said he'd felt as if he had drawn here, with the feeling of a task at hand, that he'd seen three lights in the darkness...

_ /...Four years./_

_ /Four years, and the Goddesses decide to act now?/_

Why now? Why did he collapse, only to wake up now? It didn't make sense. Could it be some form of divine foresight?

It was possible. Now that I thought about it, it might make sense. Impa'd told me of how Link had come from the Kokiri Forest to the castle, of how Her Highness had known that he would be the Hero of Time. And yet, it seemed the Three had acted, set this all into motion even earlier, long before Her Majesty's visions.

It all started with Link's mother. She'd fled to - of all places - the Kokiri Forest, had entrusted the Deku Tree with the care of her child, not even knowing if it would accept her plea or not.

The Triad had acted then - far earlier- to set the events into motion, to banish Ganondorf before he could plunge Hyrule into pure darkness.

_ /Yes, but why didn't they just strike down the Dark One? They have that power, don't they?/_

The answer came immediately: the Black King had possessed the Triforce of Power. It had received the blessing of the Three, and even the goddesses themselves couldn't break the blessingthey'd set upon it. He'd been protected from their holy fury.

But they'd found a way around it. And had dealt with him, however indirectly.

_/Their actions sometimes seem random, without sense./_

_ /And yet, when you can finally see the whole picture, it all falls into place - each and every of the Triad's actions have a purpose./_

Now I closed my eyes, leaned back. They must've seen this threat in the east as well.

Regardless, I remained uneasy with my answer. Something still bothered me about it: the whole situation in general...

The crack, of a twig under a boot, seemed to thunder throughout the silent forest. I jumped, my eyes snapping open immediately. Link had returned, his face carefully neutral as he looked down at me.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

I didn't move at first, staring up at him, inwardly taken aback by the question: I'd been expecting him to want to talk about what had happened...

Unless he was avoiding the subject. He probably wasn't ready to really face it yet. I didn't press the matter any further for now and just concentrated on standing up without passing out. After a few tries, I managed to brace myself shakily against the tree trunk and use it as leverage to get to my feet. I took an unsteady step forward, swaying, gingerly avoiding my twisted ankle, and another... The world spun crazily, and I found myself starting to tip over; it was only Link's quick reflexes that saved me from completely falling over. He slung my arm over his shoulder, though he was careful this time of the dully throbbing wound, wrapped his arm once again around my waist.For a second, I closed my eyes, pushing down the urge to throw up. Although my body could fight off the sickness here, I knew that doing so would take too long, delay the Queen's orders far more than they have been already...

And that couldn't happen.

I opened my eyes, just as the blackness seemed more than inviting.

"There'sa town, I think...a little south of here," I said. The chills going through my body were returning, sharp enough to take my breath away. "Rydel."

It took me a moment to realize that we'd begun to move - for carrying what might as well be deadweight, Link set a fairly good pace. He didn't look at me, just moved my body somewhat to make me easier to carry/drag.

"Which way?"

"It's a river town...just... follow the river south."

Link didn't answer, only altered his direction to the right, from where I could hear the distant sound of roaring water. Several long minutes passed in silence. Link's eyes were far off, a small frown darkening his face: I knew that he was thinking back, to that time outside the Shadow Temple.

_/...But the Dark One is gone./_

_ /There's no more reason to use him...right?/_

I let my head hang, finding it easier on my headache, and closed my eyes again, trying to block that thought from going any further. I'd never enjoyed, or even forgiven myself for using him like that, no matter how necessary it had been. I knew that the Zora Princess, Her Highness, Impa even...I knew that they hadn't thought twice about the matter: to them, Hyrule needed to be saved. There was no need to question it.

They probably hadn't even realized they were using him.

"What happened to you?"

The sudden question jolted me out of my thoughts. He was looking at me -the worry clear in his eyes- the blankness from him faded ever so slightly.

"Fever...probably from the marshes."

Link blinked. "Marshes?"

I told him what had happened, of how we'd set out from Kakariko, of how we'd been ambushed, and my companions slain. For an insane moment, I had the fleeting thought to go back to the Marshes, at least find the bodies and lay them to rest...

It was brief. I knew that there would be no bodies, not even pieces: if the attack had been any indication of their normal behavior, those creatures would leave little behind... perhaps some scattered bits of armor that would quickly become engulfed by the swamp, until the next set of unwary travelers passed through..

_/They didn't have to die. Not like that.../_

Not even Nolan deserved such an end.

I didn't like the fact that it could've been avoided, that their lives had been wasted, taken so brutally... that if I did make it back, I would have none of their personal effects to give to their families.

But I couldn't go back, no matter my feelings. That much was clear-

"Wait, 'Her Highness'?" Link repeated, stopping me from going on any further.

I couldn't help but blink at the interruption: he almost...seemed to lose interest in what I'd been talking about earlier.

_/...that can't be right...I must be seeing things.../_

Link wasn't the type of person to just brush off something like this. The fever was starting to affect me...I was no longer thinking clearly...

"Queen Zelda," I clarified, forcing myself for a moment out of the groggy haze. "She took the throne shortly after they carried you away."

A look of sudden interest crossed Link's face, but he said no more of it. We'd come along the river-edge and he halted for a moment. I gestured vaguely towards the left, struggling to keep my eyes open: I wanted more than ever to close my eyes and sink back into the welcome void...

He turned, following the direction, and continued. A glance showed that the neutral expression - one I'd become so familiar with before he'd left to fight the Black King- had been replaced by an unusually thoughtful one. I let my gaze drift down, back to the forest floor as it moved unevenly beneath me, finding the growing morning light irritating to the eyes.

Still silent.

For a moment, I had visions of the creatures from before, shambling from the swamps and into the forest, the reeds slithering, the sound loud throughout the still trees, coming after us...

"Link..."

He made a little "mm?" noise, but didn't shift his attention from the river. I went on.

"I think... you might want to be on the lookout..." Swallowed, cleared my throat: it was becoming hard to stay awake. "...for a major predator or monster..."

"What do you mean?"

"I...Ever since I entered the forest...I haven't heard a single sound from the animals. Just this unnatural silence..."

He was looking at me now, waiting for me to elaborate, slowing a little.

"I've...only noticed this kind of behavior before...always when there's a large predator around..."

What he did next took me completely by surprise. He gave a small shrug, which I felt through my arm, and just resumed his pace, clearly unconcerned.

My eyebrows furrowed, as this slowly sunk home in my fevered mind: how could Link be that confident...?

Watching the forest floor (little more than a patchwork of scattered leaves covering the ground) pass underneath my gaze, shifting in irregular intervals, was starting to get more than a little mesmerizing...

_ /Unless.../_

_ /...Something happened to him while he was in that darkness.../_

* * *

+to be continued+

* * *

**This chapter completed: 9/19/03**

(Thanks again to Rydia for helping out.) Also, I just wrote "Senaii Liette" (see my profile for it, I guess), which serves as sort of a side fic for this one, since Sheik refers to some stuff that happened in it.

**--Wyna Hiros**


	5. The Queen's Seal

**The Queen's Seal**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters (Nintendo does): no money is made off this. This story, and any/all original side-characters and monsters, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information at the bottom.

* * *

**The Queen's Seal**

* * *

I stared up at the branches above me, and at the sky beyond them - partially obscured from view by the thick leaves- as it slowly seemed to turn overhead. I had barely noticed as I was carefully set down, heard none of what Link had said, only watched his mouth seem to move silently, and then turn and vanish back into the forest...

It was definitely disconcerting, in its own way: the world almost seemed to be moving around me, and I could only guess as to how much time was passing me by.

Equally unsettling was the restlessness that tugged at my aching limbs: rarely had I ever just sat down like this, and done nothing. Always before I'd had some mission, had something that needed to be done right away. Had certainly never had the chance to really just _look_ around me...

I didn't like this.

Although I _knew_ that I was in no condition to be wandering around, my body's instincts insisted on moving, unable to easily accept this and just sit back. Before I knew it, I had a hand braced on the tree trunk behind me, in an attempt to get up. However, it was short-lived: a wave of dizziness seemed to roll down from my head to my legs, and I sank back down to slump against the tree trunk, feeling more and more numb with each passing moment.

Several minutes passed, five, ten, possibly twenty, and I was slowly losing the fight to stay conscious, as my body continued its own internal to struggle against the swamp induced-sickness.

I felt my eyes begin to slowly close, knew in my mind that I shouldn't be doing so...

/_It's all right.../_

_ /...I'm not sleeping.../_

My eyes had closed all the way, and I felt myself starting to relax into the blackness...

_ /I'll just.../_

_ /...Rest for a little while.../_

* * *

_Warmth. Surrounding me..._

_ Almost welcoming--_

/No. Not yet./

_ What...?_

/Not until _it's_ done./

_ Until what's done?_

/The salvation of this land./

_You mean..._

/Yes. This land will die if this continues this way/

_ The warmth was slowly drawing back, away from me..._

/...Something's strange.../

/What is this force around _her?_/

_ Force...? Her?_

/The one you call Zelda. This barrier.../

_ Her Highness placed a seal around the castle._

/..A seal?/

_ Yes. A ward that will repel those who aren't allowed within it. Only those who've been Chosen by her are allowed in._

_ She's untouchable. But..._

_ I don't think she can leave it either._

_ ...Otherwise she would have tried to stop all this herself..._

/There are other ways to finish all this./

/It needs to stop./

_Yes. It does. I have to..._

_ No._

_ I _want _to help her._

/Sheik.../

_ How do you know my name?_

_ Who are you?_

/...Sheik...sheik.../

_ The voice was growing fainter, further away..._

* * *

"...Sheik..."

Someone was shaking my shoulder, sounding more and more worried. "Come on, Sheik, you can't be sleeping here."

I was lying on my side. My eyes fluttered, and I caught a glimpse of Link looking down at me for a brief moment before my vision grayed and blacked out again, trying to sink back into the dark warmth...

"Sheik." Another shake. I mumbled something unintelligibly, but he ignored it. "You can't be sleeping now..."

The pounding in my head suddenly reappeared out the numbing darkness, along with the nausea and flood of chills that raced up and down my body: there was a muted throbbing from my wounded arm, somehow close to my chest, matching the pulse of my heart...

I was lying on my arm. Instinctively, my body tried to curl up in an useless attempt to protect itself. The welcome heat was fading away, even as I tried to fall back into it, my eyes closing again..

I felt Link move, and grip me by the arms carefully, trying to pull my limp body up, sounding almost... desperate? "_Wake up_. You have to wake up, we're almost there..."

My eyes opened hazily, blinked several times at him: the darkness was gone, leaving me only with the slightly-lessened pains in my body. Link persisted, seeing the motion as a sign of success, and stood up awkwardly, pull me up against him and slinging my arm of his shoulder. I couldn't help but make a sound of discomfort, lifting my head as the sleepiness vanished completely.

"We're almost there." He repeated encouragingly, as he started to walk us down the sloping hill. "I think I can smell smoke."

I nodded slightly, though I'd only half-heard him: my mind was going back, to that almost unsettling moment of blackness before. The memory of it, the odd, nearly genderless voice - it was all too clear, even now, with none of the vagueness of a dream.

_/Someone - or something- was talking to me back there.../_

The breeze was blowing towards us, and even through the face cover, I could catch hints of smoke and ash on the wind.

_ /...But who?/_

But there was no answer to that, only the sound of leaves being disturbed as we made progress. Like it or not, I couldn't trust my judgment regarding that "voice": for all I knew, it could be nothing more than a hallucination-

The thought never completed itself, as Link had glanced at me, concerned. "Sheik? You awake?"

I didn't bother to lift my head all the way, just tightened my hand on his shoulder to let him know I was. He went on, as if to fill the silence. "Try not to fall asleep."

"I know." And I couldn't help but wince, as soon as the words left my mouth. My voice sounded weak; too hoarse and far too loud against the almost lifeless forest.

A minute or so of silence passed between us.

"Link... When we get there..." And I trailed off for a moment, as a particularly nasty stab of pain shot up my spine and into my head. Took an unsteady breath and started over. "When we get there, you can't tell anyone who I am."

From out of the corner of my eye, I saw him start with surprise and look at me questioningly, clearly puzzled. I ignored the look, and said nothing more of it, focusing once more on staying awake.

* * *

It was nearing sunset when we managed to clear the forest, coming out into farmland, parts of the hill terraced to accomodate for it. Despite my promise, my eyes had begun to flutter shut every now and then, with increasing frequency. The welcoming darkness had returned, tantalizingly there, waiting for me each time my eyes shut. It was by sheer force of will that I would push it back, force my eyes open each time, although it was growing more and more difficult to do so.

Link stopped suddenly with a gasp, stiffening, and for a moment, all I could see was the dull yellow stalks of wheat. I lifted my head slowly, the movement labored.

...And my eyes flew open, for a brief moment, the urge to fall asleep driven back.

Even from our vantage point at the slope of the hill, I could see columns of black smoke rising from scattered areas around the town, even the bright orange flicker of flames as some of the further fields were engulfed by fire. Some of the buildings were blackened with soot, a few others still burning. Even from here, I could see people running around, trying to put out the fires, livestock milling about in confusion...

Rydel had been attacked.

A chill went down my spine. Link hefted me up and continued down the hillside, though I could feel through my arms that he was tensed, on alert.

* * *

Despite the wave of heat that struck us over and over, I found myself nodding off, the world starting to grow distant, sounds and sights vague, hazy. Link was taking me somewhere, and I didn't have the strength to even ask: at this point, I only knew that he was practically dragging/carrying me down what was probably Rydel's main street. He glanced over at me several times, each time seeing my eyelid drooping more and more: he didn't bother to stop and try to shake me awake, knowing that it wasn't going to work any more - he only increased his pace.

Around us, people were racing to put out fires, tend to the wounded; too harried to pay attention to a Hylian and an injured Sheikah. There was a crack of wood behind us, followed by a loud groan and crashing noise as a building collapsed. Link didn't turn or even slow down at that, intent on his destination.

I lifted my head a little, my eyes sliding to the right, as Link walked us past a kennel. Several dogs were tied up, milling about on their leashes within the fence: restless because of the smell of fire, but not panicking...

It was when we drew close that they went wild; the larger hounds leapt at us, snarling and frothing, straining at their chains, ears back, the smaller ones trying to flee, tails between their legs and yapping, eyes white with terror. I stared, confused by this behavior. As we passed them, the smaller ones had all but retreated, huddled silently in the farthest corner of the kennel, shaking. The bigger dogs had also recoiled, their barking taking on a frightened tone.

Link didn't even miss a step, ignoring this; I could only watch over my shoulder with my dimming vision, as we drew away from them, watching the dogs once again leap back at the length of their chains, as if to drive us away. Their mouths moved, fangs gleaming, the sound of their snarls slowly seeming to fade, as my eyes started to close again.

Link turned then, and I found myself before a large, partially burnt door, saw Link's hand reach out...

And then the world seemed to almost... skip. His hand was still in midmotion... and then suddenly gone, the door open - somehow just _open _(I hadn't even seen it even in the process of opening), and I was being hoisted to the large, calloused and definitely female hands that had just as suddenly appeared - away from Link, before I even realized what was going on...

Everything was starting to fade in and out, sound following... one moment, I was being half-carried through what looked like an inn- the next moment, being propped up against a bed, with a cup being held insistently to the face cover..

I remembered having the sense and strength to take the cup, tilt my head away, and pull down the wrap enough to drain the container, remembered - a few seconds before I finally passed out - vaguely thinking that whatever it was, it tasted awful...

* * *

_It was snowing, that time. Only a year or so into her reign._

_ The fall and winter had not been particularly kind to the kingdom. The people were on edge from just recovering from the Dark One, and the fall had ended soon, chill spreading on the ground far too early. Crops and stock were failing, and they appealed to Her Highness for help, to somehow stop the deadly winter from coming._

(How stupid of them.)

(No one can halt the seasons.)

_ She had refused, knowing that she had neither the power to do so, and knowing that even attempting it would make matters worse, and overthrow the balance._

_ A week after her refusal..._

_ ...someone, one of the citizens from Lake Hylia, had tried to kill her._

_ The memory, even though it was several months ago, was enough to send a shiver down my spine. The young man had managed to sneak past the guards, and into her personal chambers, in the early hours of the night._

(...I couldn't even reach her in time.)

_ I knew I had failed, that one time where she had really needed me. It didn't matter that I was taking care of her other business: the fact was, I had not been there for her. Even now, I remembered running down the hall at the first sound of glass shattering, turned once into the corridor to see her handmaidens trying to get in through the locked door. I had joined them, pounding against the door until the wood finally gave under our combined weight, the fear souring my mouth..._

_ But it was already over. Her Highness turned to look at me, a look of horror and shame on her face as we halted, her assailant's body lying crumbled on the floor at her feet, burned black beyond recognition, the smell of charred flesh in the air ..._

* * *

_ I knew that the incident was still on her mind._

_ And I hadn't forgotten it either: I'd felt a moment of panic when I'd found that the Queen was not in her chambers or in the Main Hall. I'd begun to search the entire palace at once, seeing the whole assassination attempt all over again in my mind, only it hadn't ended so luckily for her..._

_ There was only one other place to check. I began to head out to the gardens, then beyond them, towards the recent cemetery that had been cleared to house her deceased family ..._

_ It was starting to snow when I found her. She was kneeling in front of the largest marble headstone, staring at it, hands resting, clenched, on her lap. I knew immediately that she was crying, from the way her arms and shoulder's trembled..._

_ It made me uncertain, bothered to see her weeping like this: I'd never seen this kind of behavior from her, never seen her suddenly break down..._

_ "Your Highness." I made my presence known first and stepped out of the pathway, into the clearing. Her Majesty's head shot up, startled, eyes red with tears._

_ "S-Sheik..."_

_ I said nothing, only moved to stand a little behind her, looking down at the grave before us. She slowly turned back, a little stiffly, to the headstone, fingers tightening. I watched this, wanting more than anything to at least show that she wasn't alone, that there were people that believed in her..._

_ But I could only stand behind her and wait for her to make the next move or command._

_ A few minutes passed, the snow continuing to fall, gathering around and on us and the headstone. I moved finally, to clear it from the grave, out of respect for the Royal Family and the Queen, and turned to go._

_ It was then that Her Highness finally stood up, her voice unsteady, eyes avoiding mine._

_ "What am I doing wrong? Why does it seem like everything's falling apart before I've even started? I-is it because I...that man..?"_

_ I stared at her for a moment, stunned at this vulnerability, before reaching out to gently touch her shoulder._

_ "Your subjects are expecting miracles to come pouring down, just because the Dark One is gone, Your Highness. Because you are one of the Royal Family, and one of the Sages, they think that you will set everything right, immediately..."_

_ She noticed my hesitation, and nodded for me to go on._

_ I was blunt. "But you can't. Only the goddesses can do what they are expecting, and that fast. You're only mortal, and these things will happen - it'll just take time."_

_ Her Highness had flinched but swallowed, nodded a little, wiping at a stray tear. I went on, gently, "You've done nothing wrong so far, Your Highness, and...you were justified in killing that man. It was self-defense."_

_ I paused for a moment, then added. "I-We trust you."_

_ She didn't say anything, only smiled a little, through the drying tears, and nodded shakily as she turned to leave with me..._

* * *

_ But that had been long ago. She was different now, changed, colder, stronger. The morning after the other Sheikah had forsaken their oaths to the Royal Family and went into exile, I had returned to the site of the Royal Family's graves, expecting to find Her Highness there. I'd learned that when she was distressed, she would seek refuge with her family, as if looking for comfort..._

_ It was raining that day, as I made my way through the pathway, the wooden beams rendered all but invisible by the vines. I could hear very little over the sound of the rain against the garden, only water against the leaves and ground, as if the very sky meant to drown the earth..._

_ I came out into the clearing, for a moment wondering if I'd come to the wrong place. A second glance proved that this was indeed the cemetery; however, the graves were unkempt, the marble headstones nearly swallowed by the overgrowth, the grass having spread, beginning to cover the dirt mounds._

_ In the past, Her Highness had tended to the graves herself, but..._

_ Those visits had been growing less and less, and apparently, had ceased altogether._

_ A small shiver of unease went through me, seeing this site in such disrepair. One of the monuments had collapsed completely, vines and roots having managed to rend the stone over the years and months. The former King's headstone itself was practically obscured by the weeds..._

_ After a moment, I stepped into the cemetery and, alone, began to slowly set about to clearing the overgrowth from the graves of the Royal Family, as the rain continued to pour down..._

* * *

For a moment, it felt as if that very same rain was making my hair damp, in uneven presses on my forehead...

My eyes opened then, slowly, to a half-lit room, stared for a moment at the candle on the dresser across the room. The pounding headache from before had mercifully vanished, taking with it the worst of the nausea and chills, although I could still feel hints of them lurking still.

_ (Where...?)_ I could only blink into the shadows, disoriented. For a moment, I closed my eyes again, catching the fleeting glimpse of snow against those graves, from long ago...

Another wet touch to my forehead, and my eyes opened again, startled.

Someone was applying a damp cloth to my brow, their face rendered a blank shadow by the meager light. Instinctively, I tried to sit up...

...Only to fall back immediately, the strength seeming to drain from my body with the attempt. The shadow sitting at my side moved, standing up and leaving the rag on my forehead as they went to the door in the corner and vanished through it.

I could only stare back at the ceiling for a second, reaching up slowly and removing the moist rag. My hair was damp, freed of the Sheikah wind and plastered against my forehead. I let my hand drop, feeling the cloth starting to soak into the wraps on my fingers.

For moment, I just closed my eyes. Although I still felt weak, there was no longer this sense of overwhelming nausea, or a kind of dizziness followed by chilling pain - the urge to sleep had also vanished. All that was left was the muted throbbing from the stab wound on my arm, which had - from the looks of it- been cleaned and properly bandaged. Somewhat randomly, I noticed that they'd left on the face cover.

/_Even if you're recovering, you're still at the mercy with whoever's here./_

That thought did not sit well with me. Although all the symptoms of the fever were gone, it still felt like I'd been trampled repeatedly by a herd of warhorses: my head was still aching - although it wasn't as severe as before- and my limbs felt sore, my twisted ankle sending odd pulses up my leg.

/_Get up./_

It was by sheer will alone that I forced myself up, until I was propped up by my elbows. However, that was as far as I got before I saw stars again, my arms trembling with the effort to keep myself up.

_ /Link./  
_

I didn't see him._  
_

_ /Where is he?/_

The door opened then, and the two shadows - one large, barrel-chested but clearly feminine, the other shorter, but more streamlined and muscular- appeared in the doorway. I blinked, blinded for a moment as they entered, the room seeming to grow several times too bright with the glow of the lanterns they brought in.

My vision cleared after a few seconds to see the shadows resolve, into a portly middle-aged Hylian woman at the far cabinet folding bandages, and a younger Zora male in the process of settling down at my side, pushing the small spectacles up the bridge of his nose every now and then.

I stared at both of them openly, studying them, although I no longer felt threatened. The presence of the Zora was reassurance enough. Although Zora Domain no longer showed the same enthusiasm in honoring their ties with the Royal Family, they still owed a life debt to my people and I: they would never hurt me.

_ /You saved their people during those dark years.../_

_ /But do you think that debt will still be honored?/_

I was suddenly uncertain. Hyrule had changed since then, and no matter how strong a life debt was, no matter that I'd saved the Zora princess years ago, the fact was that they had grown less and less cordial as the years and months went by. And with the Princess as a Sage...

_/She may have decided to back out of it. Her faith comes first before duty./_

The woman had left the room, leaving me alone with the Zora, who looked at me curiously for a moment. I stared back. He had the look and bearing of a scholar, his position straight, black eyes attentive behind the small glasses perched on his nose, the fins that nearly covered his face kept in good order.

"How are you feeling? Much better, I hope?" He finally asked. His voice was cultured, with a slight accent.

I only nodded. The Zora gestured with webbed fingers at the damp rag in my hand, "If I may?"

I handed it to him. He took it and stood up, crossed the room to the washbin on the cabinet, back turned to me as he changed it, discarding it for a new one. "You may want to take a shower sometime, and have those clothes cleansed. I'm not as familiar as I'd like with all of your customs, but I didn't think it appropriate to remove your face cover without your permission."

"Thank you," I finally said.

A dull splash, as the Zora squeezed some water from the new washcloth. "It was the least I could do. I'm not much of a healer myself, so I may have..." He sounded a little embarrassed, apologetic. "..bandaged your arm and ankle incorrectly."

That explained the dull throbbing from both: he'd wrapped them a little too tight, but thankfully, just enough to cause some discomfort and not enough to hinder the healing. Any doubts I had about the Zora were slowly fading.

"What happened?"

The Zora came back, handing me the clean washcloth, and sat down again. "You were brought here from the forest by a young man. You had some infections in that wound that spread to the rest of your system - the locals mentioned something about some form of marsh fever." he shrugged. "They gave you something to help fight it, but it appeared that you were already past the worst of it. You should thank your friend: he managed to keep you awake."

I didn't answer immediately, taking this all in.

"Is he here...?" I asked after a moment.

The Zora seemed to start, a sheepish look crossing his face. "I apologize. I'll let him in."

He stood up, and left the room. My arms had stopped trembling, the weakness lessening enough that I could sit up all the way before the sparks appeared across my vision. I dabbed at my forehead with the washcloth to ward away the dizziness that threatened to return. I took the time then to look around, taking in my surroundings. I was in a small room, with very little adorning it, save for the worn cabinet against the opposite wall, a small closet, and a rusted pot in the corner: most likely this was a maid or stablehand's room once...The smell of smoke was still strong in the air, harsh against my lungs. Outside, muffled, I could make out the distant barking and snarls of the dogs from before...

The Zora returned, with Link on his heels. A feeling of relief went through me for a moment: relieved that nothing had happened to him while I was out, relieved to find that he hadn't been a hallucination, that he really was back...

The Zora turned to Link, for a moment. "I apologize once again for the delay. Your friend..."

And he suddenly trailed off, looking at me, expectantly. "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

I stiffened ever so slightly, on guard once more.

My eyes flicked to Link for a moment, my meaning clear, as he started to open his mouth. My gaze returned to the Zora.

"Kra-yun." I said softly. I saw Link's eyes widen and go to me, startled, knowing that was not my name, but that of one of one of the other Sheikah who had been killed at the Lake's Shrine years ago.

I ignored the pointed stare.

The Zora nodded, smiling. "And I am Japas. The pleasure is all mine, I assure you: it's been so long since I've run across your people. If there's anything else I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask," he turned to Link, who was still staring at me, expression indescribable. "Your friend will recover soon. His sprain should heal within a few days, and the wound should heal within two weeks or so."

I found myself glancing at the bandages tied around my upper arm, frowning behind the face cover. I didn't have two weeks to sit around and wait for my arm to completely heal...

Japas continued, looking at me now. "...The locals mentioned that you may feel somewhat weak for the next few days. However, I'm afraid I can't be around all the time, as the innkeeper has requested that I help her tend the other wounded."

I nodded slightly. "I understand. Thank you."

The Zora smiled again, and made a little bow. "I'll return later today to check on you then. If you'll excuse me..." With that, he turned and left the room, closing the door after him. There was a soft click as it shut, followed by the muffled sound of webbed feet padding away...

Link hadn't moved, continued to stare at me. I moved, to lie back down, closing my eyes for a moment.

There was a long silence, and then, finally:

"Why did you lie to him?"

I sighed a little, opening my eyes. "I have my reasons..."

Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Link's face darken a little, eyebrows furrowing.

"And I'm not entitled to hear them? Why? Is because I'm no longer the Hero of Time, because I'm no longer needed?" He asked. I couldn't help but wince. Link looked away, took a small breath. "You don't trust me anymore, do you?"

For a second, I found it hard to swallow, hurt, and just turned onto my side, away from Link to face the wall.

"It's not any of those, Link..." I said.

_ /You should know me better than that.../_

He'd gone silent. I went on. "I'll tell you as soon as I can, I promise. When the time is right. "

I could feel his disbelief, even from here.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

Now it was his turn to hesitate, caught off guard. After a moment, he sighed slightly, looked away.

"No, you haven't..."

I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling weary, although it was no longer so urgent and numbing as before. Sleep was slowly tugging at my eyelids. A minute passed in silence, and then another...I half-heard Link finally excuse himself and leave, the steps making the worn floorboards creak. I found myself listening to the sound, as he walked away, further and further, found myself wondering for a brief second if he was leaving entirely...

The question was what would I do even if he decided that. Would I stop him?

I was starting to fall asleep.

_I honestly don't know..._was the last thing I thought before the darkness settled over me...

* * *

The room was slowly brightening with the morning light when I woke up. I winced, and turned my head away from the slats of the window. Even with all the smoke still heavy in the air, the sun still managed to penetrate the ash clouds, brightening into an unnatural orange, turning the rest of the sky into a sickening pale yellow. The light on the ground, a horizontal pattern thrown against the flooring due to the blinds, almost seemed to glow...

I swallowed a little, pushing down the uneasiness. This kind of weather was far too similar to that of the darker years before, and I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable experiencing it again.

Similar weather then, .nearly the same as the day I'd nearly been ambushed by some of the Black King's men during that scouting mission...

I shivered a little, removing the damp washcloth. If not for Impa and Her Highness' timely intervention back then, I probably would've been...

The ugly thought never completed itself, as the door opened then. Japas came into the room, bearing more towels and a bin, which he replaced the other one with. I watched him bustle about the room for a minute or so before he turned, and started at finding my eyes on him. The surprise was brief, and he quickly recovered, setting the last towels aside.

"Any improvement?"

I nodded. Although the drained feeling remained, I was feeling far better than the day before - I didn't feel as empty or unsteady. My throat, however, had worsened due to the ash and smoke in the air. Breathing - much less swallowing- was painful.

The Zora looked me over, pushing the spectacles up the bridge of his nose with a webbed finger. "You might just recover earlier than I'd predicted. Perhaps different metabolism rates than Hylian...?"

I blinked at the unfamiliar words, uncertainly. He waved it off.

"Please don't mind my babblings. Sometimes I forget and before I know it, I've gone off on tangents," he said. After a moment, he changed the subject. "How are your arm and ankle feeling?"

I moved them, slightly, winced at the sudden throb of pain from the stab wound. Thankfully, my ankle was only on the sore side.

"A little sore, but I'll live," I hesitated. "...I just wanted to thank you for doing this."

Japas moved, to take a seat. "It isn't a problem. Actually, Kra-yun, you've been one of the easier patients I've dealt with in the past few hours."

There was a small silence, the smell of smoke seeming to grow stronger.

"What happened here?" I finally asked softly.

"I'm not entirely sure myself. I've been out of the loop for a few years, so..." Japas shrugged a little. "I just turned around fairly recently to return home, you see. I had planned to stop by Rydel on the way back from the north-eastern rim, but when I got here, it seemed it was too late: I arrived just in time to see the third wave of marauders hit this place."

I felt myself grow a little cold, an ugly feeling starting to grow inside.

_/No, this isn't.../_

I hoped against hopes that I wasn't right. I swallowed a little, looked away from him.

"'Marauders'?" I repeated.

Japas nodded from the corner of my field of vision, looking uncomfortable, a little confused. "They seemed to be so, yes. But..."

He had trailed off.

"Yes?"

"I might have been mistaken but I'm not entirely sure they were just ordinary ruffians: they bore the crest of the Royal Family on their weaponry and horses..."

The chill grew, turned to iron and sat heavily in my stomach. I'd been right. I knew exactly what had happened here.

A raid. Just like the ones in the rumors I'd heard circulating around central Hyrule before. I had never really believed they'd existed, had hoped that they were just rumors...

Seeing the truth, the aftermath of one made me feel a little sick. Famine, due to the diminishing lakes, had increased with the past year. Yet, food seemed to arrive, not enough to alleviate the situation, but enough to lessen it temporarily. I had only raised an eyebrow at this before, but didn't question it.

_ /These kinds of raids upon border towns.../_

I stopped that doubt before it could go any further. Her Highness was doing what was necessary for her subjects. No one had been killed in this, just several injured...

_ /Don't think any more about this. Not now, when you have Her wishes to carry out./_

I swallowed, not liking the uncertainty that went through me still, not liking the way it still lurked there even as I pushed it down. Besides the bed, Japas blinked at me through the thin lens perched on his nose.

"Are you alright? You seem rather pale."

"Just a little dizzy." I said coolly, and sat up, waving him off a little when the Zora moved to steady me. "It will pass."

I changed the subject quickly. "Is it possible if I could get some water and a tub..?"

He understood immediately, and stood up. "Of course. I'll see to it that you get your privacy as well."

With that, he left. I watched the door shut, before sitting up, testing my arm with a small grimace. Still more than a little painful, but I didn't have the luxery to sit around and wait for it to heal.

...That, and I knew I would have to leave soon: I knew that someone would probably recognize me sooner or later, regardless of the fact Rydel was a bordertown...

* * *

A day had passed, and I forced myself to get up and help the villagers recover as much as they could from the raid. Once or twice, I saw Link doing the same, but there was never any time to talk, or to do more than let our eyes meet.

Even then, I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

They had that same carefully neutral look, from those months long ago. But there wasn't time to take more than a passing note of it, as I was all too aware of the increasingly curious eyes on me...

It was that night when it finally happened.

I woke with a start, to hear the sharp bang of something heavy being slammed down and heated voices from the door beyond, hushed but still sharp. I recognized Japas' voice immediately, but the other I didn't catch so soon, straining to hear them through the the thin walls.

"--ther one sai... that the Sheikah...going east. Why is that such a problem?"

I sat up, eyes narrowed.

The second voice quickly, answered, a female's voice - I recognized it now as the innkeeper from earlier. "You don't..et it, do you Zora?"

"What...to get? Kra-yun is clea...aking the journey home." A small pause. "He...ight not make it...ause the way there...blocked off, but...is no cause for...uspicion."

"No. That's not it." The innkeeper's voice had raised a little, with irritation, uneasiness, enough that I could understand her completely. "I don't think that's the reason. I don't think he's even really going east.

Japas' voice went up a little, almost offended. "What are you suggesting?

Another pause, and then a little lower:

"I'm saying he looks very familiar..." The innkeeper said. "I think I've seen him before when I went to the Castle..." She hushed a little. "think he...orking for..."

I didn't bother to stay and listen to the rest, knowing I couldn't stay here any longer: there was already suspicion regarding my identity. I got out of bed silently, and gathered my things as best I could, ignoring the throbbing of my shoulder.

_ (And what about Link...?)_

What about him?

_ (Do you intend to leave him here?)_

That brought me up short. For a moment, I paused, uncertainly. I might have to, if it came down to it.

Deep down, I doubted I could do that so easily, no matter what I tried to tell myself. Not after having found him so soon, not with so much that had happened before those years before...

_ /Just focus on Her Highness' wishes.../_

A minute or two had passed, and I had finished packing the small bag, moving over to the window. Carefully, as quietly as I could, I pushed the slats up, and opened the window, easing my way out, and letting the slats softly drop back after me. Even though the ash had finally cleared from the skies, the blackened smoke clouds still lingered over Rydel. The air felt still, trapped under them, stale and dying. It was nearly pitch black - every now and then, there would be a glimpse of moonlight: I found it easy to make my way unnoticed around the corner of the building, to where I had been told Link's room would be... where I halted, startled.

The window was open. I quietly pushed the slats up, and peered inside, warily. The room was empty: his belongings were still there, propped up against the wall, a plate (the food on it uneaten) still sitting on the small table in the corner, but that was it...

_ /Where...?/_

I hesitated, where I would never would have before. No matter what I told myself, I was reluctant to just leave him here without any parting words between us.

It was because of that little pause that I heard it - so soft that I doubted I'd even heard it in the first place- on the slight breeze; a few low notes from a hauntingly familiar nocturne for the night, drifting from the forest surrounding the lake. I couldn't help but shiver a little as I made my way towards the small forest: the haunting melody never ceased to send a chill down my spine.

The leaves barely rustled in the breeze as I plunged into the grove, and even the hounds -still locked in their kennels- had been silenced, throats hoarse from barking so many hours before. All there was in the night was the whistled notes, rising and falling quietly.

A few minutes had passed - with every step bringing me closer and closer to the lake- when the sound of something small and hard striking water at uneven intervals replaced the forlorn notes. The low whistling slowly died down, until there was only the splash of water. Finally, I saw the lake, nearly black save for the glimmer on its surface every now and then from the moon peaking out. Link was there in front of me, a darker shadow against the body of water from where he stood at the lake's edge.

I stopped, outside the treeline. He bent and picked up a small stone from the gravel, testing it in his hands. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he sent it whizzing out against the lake, where it skipped once, twice, before sinking.

I took a step forward, the loose rock and shale shifting under my feet. Link started at the sound, and glanced back at me for a moment. Again, that neutral expression from before - but it was directed at me this time, and I couldn't help but feel unhappy about this fact.

"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?" He turned away, and stooped again, picking up another stone. My eyes flicked down, following the motion.

I hadn't ever lied to him. I wasn't going to now, and not about this.

"I'm leaving tonight," I finally said. He sent the stone hurtling out against the water, and straightened.

"Ah-huh," was all he said. He didn't press the matter any further, didn't ask again as to why I had insisted that I hide my identity from the villagers, or about the raids: although I knew he was thinking about it. It didn't need to be said that - for whatever reason- I had sensed I'd outstayed my welcome here.

I said nothing, suddenly uncertain how to behave around Link. An almost moody silence hung in the air - Link made no motion to continue skipping the stones across the lake, just stood there, arms folded.

The moon came out then, for a brief moment, its meager light distorted by the smoke.

"Where is Navi?" Link asked softly. My eyes flicked back to him. The cold air was slowly fading from him, and his shoulders seemed to slump a little, wearily.

"She left, a year after you fell."

I heard him take a little sharp intake of breath. I fell silent, looking down, my chest feeling tight all of a sudden with guilt. The years hadn't changed this at all - I had nothing to give him, other than to always be the bearer of bad news.

And I found myself wanting to finally make it better for him, to try and make up for all the pain he'd had to suffer.

A minute must have passed before Link dropped his arms to his side and turned to look at me, the moon vanishing behind the clouds and smoke, plunging us into darkness again. I could feel his eyes on me.

"...I want my life back." His voice was quiet. I swallowed a little, starting at this. "I want to go back to my own time."

I opened my mouth - to protest, to tell him it was impossible...

...But almost immediately, I stopped the words before they surfaced, and looked at the shadow in front of me in silence instead. I had no right to deny him this, never mind what I felt about this choice, never mind what I felt about him. He had every reason to wish for this, and yet...

For a moment, I saw it: a world without him, without even his sleeping body here, without even a trace of him. Only the ones who had been involved with all of this would remember him, keep him alive at least in that way even when others forgot.

But even then, they would fade from Hyrule, and his memory would die out. I tried to steel myself against this mental image, forced myself to focus on the boy - man, I amended- in front of me, rather than the possible future.

"I will see if her Highness can do this." To my surprise, I found it difficult to speak for a moment, and took a minute to bring the calmness back over me. "I'm sure she would figure out a way..."

Link was staring at me, motionless, sensing the hesitation.

"You won't be able to approach the Castle without me--"

"You mean that barrier thing?"

I stiffened unconsciously, surprised. How had he known...?

He gave a small little laugh, at both my startled silence and from the expression he knew must have crossed my face. "You were mumbling a bunch of stuff before we got here."

I flushed, annoyed with myself, and wondering what else I had said when I was unconscious. "I would have to take you through it..."

And I abruptly stopped, realizing the situation I was in. There was Her Highness' command to carry out still, to stop that woman's prophecy: it always sat in my mind, either at the forefront, or lingering in the back, a persistent reminder that made me restless when I was recovering.

...And there was Link's request, which I had no intention of denying.

"Sheik?"

I said nothing at first, although I could tell that I had confused Link with my sudden halt. But I couldn't answer immediately, all too aware that I had to chose. It was with difficulty that I spoke up again, feeling as if I was suddenly torn between the two.

"You... do understand that I can't take you back to the Castle immediately," I said slowly. "I..."

A few feet away from me, Link shifted his weight from one foot to the other. I fell silent, as I trailed off, glad that there was darkness masking our faces from each other. I knew that in my fever, I had at least mentioned the prophecy at some point, although that was all I remembered.

He finally spoke up, the moon reappearing for a brief moment in a gap in the smoke clouds before vanishing again.

"I know. I don't want to go back just yet...only that I will once I'm finished here." His voice was more than a little bitter.

I was silent, wondering whether I had been correct in my earlier guesses.

Even in the darkness, even with the time apart, he could still read my body language, and against the night, I saw his black figure tilt his head a little at me. "You can't feel it right now, can you? You can't feel this...this darkness, growing and growing until its satisfied?"

I started. He could sense this evil from the East?

_ /But it makes sense, doesn't it? Her Highness and Impa were able to verify this.../_

Link took a step towards me, and then another and another, until we were close enough to just barely make out each other's features. His eyes were dark, nearly black as obsidian in the shadows, staring into mine. There was something in them that I couldn't quite make out, an expression that I couldn't quite read: fear? Doubt?

It was unreadable.

"Take me with you," he said.

I stared at him for a long moment, knowing that things were in motion that I couldn't begin to guess at. I knew that I should turn him back: he would only suffer more pain on this journey.

But my heart said otherwise: having him here again made me feel... different. Less alone in this world.

My people were alone for much of their lives. They were born alone. They died alone. It was how things were. A part of my mind had piped up as well, adding that Link obviously had better senses in this than I did: I would be far more sure of my direction if he came along. Two could take on more of the dangers on the road, far better than just one...

_ /I am _not_ going to use him again. Not like before./_

But I knew that was exactly what I was doing, and couldn't help but frown, pushing down the guilt that threatened to rise up again as I looked Link in the face.

"Alright. We'll go together. But we must leave tonight: go back into town and get ready - I'll meet you at the crossroads."

Link nodded, and moved to pass me and head into the forest. It was then that I grasped him by the shoulder with my good hand, looking him in the eyes. He didn't shrug out of my grip, or jokingly push my hand off, as he might have done in the years before, only returned the stare levely.

"I will get you back to Her Highness once this is over, I promise." I said softly.

A small smile, nearly hidden by the darkness, crossed his face, silently thanking me. I let him go, after a moment, and watched as he trotted away, vanishing into the trees.

The uneasiness had returned, as I glanced out one last time over the shadow of the lake... and I couldn't help but feel that somewhere along the line, I had made the worst mistake of my life.

* * *

+To be continued+

* * *

--  
**Completed: 2/2/04** This took far longer than it should have. Someone asked if I had put it aside, and I'll say this: Unless I put Aceilux under "Hiatus" on my profile, chances are, it's still being written: it just takes some time because of school, drawing, life in general.

--Wyna Hiros


	6. Dirge

**Dirge**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters (Nintendo does): no money is made off this. This story, and any/all original side-characters, locations, and monsters, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information in my profile.

* * *

**Dirge**

* * *

_ N'dahn Fahrnyo biihraeo aën-narahn..._

The words came all too easily from my lips, half-muffled by the face cover and softly droning in the early morning air. To the west, cold light was beginning to barely spread from the shadows of the mountains. Once we had made it a safe distance from Rydel, I had signaled to Link. We had stopped on the the top of one of the hills overlooking the lake town. A turn, and I'd knelt, looking down at the sleeping village and in the distance, the swamps that had claimed my companions.

_H'shae n'da Mah-Hahruin, h'shae n'da ifahnl, h'shae n'da anun-hën shi'tëhluu rinlou mëhn'da n'da ahn-pihraeo..._

I ignored the damp grass on my knee and shin, staring into the impenetrable murk of the distant swamplands. The dirge was too smooth, had nearly become automatic - the words were beginning to have less and less meaning to me anymore. How many times had I performed this ritual? Twenty...? Thirty times since I came of age during the Black King's reign?

_ Dëhn wihn, mah ka'mëhdou, këhlai h'shae n'da rihn, aënahth këhn aehl-rën..._

I couldn't remember: perhaps it was more than that. These very same words - perhaps with more weight- had been murmured to the dead. To the women, the children, the men...to the Hylians, Zora, Sheikah, to the people I couldn't save, or let die if it served our purpose.

_ ...Ga'lahrihn ohn n'dahn cëhr-lobaan mëhn'da Fahrnyo..._

And for a moment, I felt a strong stab in my breast: not of only sorrow, but anger, and a fierce sense of guilt. How had I let it come to this? I could have saved my comrades, if I had tried harder. A smaller part of me was especially furious, that it felt like I'd just _let_ Nolan - no matter how much I'd disliked the man- die like that. If I had taken charge instead of falling back, we would have went the longer way, around that deathtrap. If I'd been stronger...

_Ga'lahrihn anun hihl n'da vahrahr-këh, ohn n'dahn anun mëhn'dii sietya._

If just maybe I'd put aside Her Highness' wishes, delayed them...

_ H'shae n'da nal-mahruin, h'shae n'da cahrn-tahlruin, h'shae n'da anun-hën mo aen-narahn._

I took a shuddering breath, seeing the first graves and the first rites I'd had to perform - a little flash of startling clarity: a couple, slaughtered as they awoke to the shattered creak of a door being broken. It was gone just as soon, leaving me more and more uneasy, chilled to the bone in way that had nothing to do with the morning air. If I had been stronger, perhaps I could have served my people, my Queen better.

_ ...Këhr anun, hët'vahrahr, nai-hrahn._

My hand was shaking as I completed the ritual, touching my hand to my forehead, chest, and then outwards, half-tilted to the ground, the anger, the frustration seeming to seep away in that motion.

This was the best I could do for them, for Her right now. And yet, no matter how much I tried to tell myself that, the memories sank back down within me, no longer as strong as before, but reawakened, nestling down in my breast, slowly, quietly gnawing away..

"Sheik..."

I jumped a little: for a moment, I had forgotten that Link was even there, my head jerking to the side to glance back through my bangs at him. He was standing there next to our packs, an odd look on his face that made me pause; his mouth had pursed, eyebrows furrowed, as if he was seeing something for the first time and he didn't quite know what to make of it. I saw in his eyes confusion, uncertainty - as if he'd never seen this ritual, had never seen the weary grieving, had never seen the unsteady hands or the trembling of my shoulders.

And for a moment, I saw a flash of pity cross his face as well, eerily similar to ones I had cast towards him years before.

However, it was gone almost as soon as it appeared, as he realized that I was looking at him out of the corner of my eye. He gave a little shake of his head, as if to wipe any trace of that strange expression from his face, and took a step towards me.

"Are you ready?" asked Link. His voice seemed quieter, unsure in the morning air.

I said nothing in response, only nodded and rose. I took one glance at his face, and looked away immediately as I approached, taking a moment to shoulder my pack. I couldn't meet that gaze right now: not when I knew that he would see the turmoil, the uncertainty that was all-too obvious in my eyes.

And a part of me wondered if these signs of weakness -where I had been careful to hide them before- would change anything.

Would he think any less of me?

But there was no answer to that then and I didn't pursue it.

* * *

_ For the first hour or so, we had traveled in silence: Link had attempted some conversation, but quickly let it drop after the first few tries. I was too wrapped up in my thoughts, the "burial" ceremony still too fresh and having stirred up too many doubts, and all he would get were short, clipped answers._

_ He let it go, recognizing the brooding for what it was, and we continued on our way, wordlessly heading through the east pass._

* * *

It was late morning when my ankle finally forced me out of my reverie.

I couldn't help but wince and bite at my lip. There were times that I found the face cover to be a hassle, an unnecessary barrier - but not now. I was glad that the face cover hid my grimace at the sharp stab of pain that shot up my calf. My ankle was throbbing, growing worse with each step. Although I had stopped earlier to hastily rewrap it, each step was only making the sprain worse.

Link had turned, and blinked, realizing that I was starting to lag behind. I wiped any sign of discomfort from my face.

"...You alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Another wince - this time a mental one. I hadn't meant for it to come out so tersely.

He clearly didn't believe it but just gave a little shrug, and continued. I gritted my teeth, and after a brief moment's rest, forced myself to pick up the pace.

* * *

_ Link would stop every now and then, and repeatedly asked if I needed help: I only brushed him off, determined to ignore what should be a minor inconvenience and make progress. I knew that I could do it, if I focused enough._

_ Or so I thought. Pride is something that slows progress down, rather than spurring it on._

* * *

I was lagging further behind now, and I could no longer keep the pain from my face as I slowed at the top of the hill. A gentle breeze blew from the east; from my vantage point on the hill, I could see that we were surrounded by grassland. I glanced down, grimacing at the thought of putting more weight on my ankle to make the journey down the hillside.

It was the sound of gravel being suddenly being churned louder - growing closer- that caused me to look up, startled. Link had turned, and was making his way back up the small hill. I hesitated, frowning at the way he was looking everywhere but into my eyes, and wondering just what he was up to.

I had my answer almost immediately: for when he reached me, he - still avoiding my startled gaze- wrapped an arm around my waist, and pulled my good arm over his shoulder. I started to protest, but it died before it left my lips. I recognized the stubborn set of his jaw all too well, and knew that that "no" would not be accepted.

I sighed mentally, and let myself lean against him, taking the weight off my throbbing ankle, as he walked us down the hillside.

* * *

It was a half-hour later, of maneuvering carefully over the gently rolling hills, when the grasslands were briefly intersected by a small forest. It was nothing more than a small grove of trees clustered around a small pool, but it was the first area of shade that I'd seen for awhile.

I was leaning heavily on Link now, keeping as much of my weight off my now-stiff ankle as I could. He glanced at me for a moment, and then steered us over into the shade of the trees.

Carefully, he shifted me down to rest against one of the boulders, letting the knapsacks fall to the ground in another motion. I leaned back and closed my eyes for a moment, feigning far more weariness than I felt, listening to both of our slightly uneven breaths: we hadn't stopped since leaving Rydel, and I wasn't about to force Link to go any further until he rested. I knew that if he saw that I was still fit to go on, he would follow after, regardless of how tired he was.

That thought brought a small smile unbidden to my lips. When we'd first met, it was one of the first things I'd noticed: for the first several weeks, he had pushed himself as hard as it took to match me, as if he felt he had to justify himself before my eyes. I had finally reassured him, after the first month, that he didn't need to go through such measures.

Because some of those times before, he'd pushed himself too hard and too far, and I feared for him...

But old habits die hard, and there were times that he did it unconsciously: I suspected this would be one of them.

After a minute or so of waiting, his breathing evened out and there was a rustle of cloth as he sat up. I opened my eyes. Link had moved to kneel down next to me, a hand hovering over my throbbing ankle.

"We should see about that ankle..." he began. I nodded, and made a motion to help unwind the bandages. Immediately, he caught the flash of pain that went across my eyes, and he gently pressed me back to rest against the rock. "Just take it easy, okay? I can handle this."

"Alright," I forced myself to relax back against the boulder, and let him take charge in this. Link hesitated for a moment, and then gingerly pulled the injured foot onto his lap, and began to unwind the bandages. I started for a moment at the gentle touch, suddenly very aware of the fingers on my ankle and the hand steadying my calf.

I swallowed and tried to ignore the pleasant little tingle that seemed to radiate from the touch: I couldn't assume that Link meant any more of it.

...Even if a part of me wanted to.

Although Link was no Zora healer, he did have steady hands, and he continued to unwind the bandages, never once jolting my ankle. I watched the wrap come undone at his hands, layer by layer...

* * *

_ Idly, I noticed that the bandages had finally come off, and -thankfully- the burns were starting to fade from Her Highness' hands._

_ I knew that seeing her like that, still as a statue, face blank, and eyes wide and staring into a place beyond our world had frightened me badly. The sight was burned forever into my memory, of Her Highness sitting, rigid in the tent, for all I knew, dead to the world..._

_ I gave myself a shake and snuck a glance at the princess, who had crouched beside to me. She was wrapped within the tattered robes and talismans of the southern Sheikah tribes, intent on watching the Temple of Time's entrance._

_ But she was herself once more. Her spirit had come back, and her eyes were focusing once more on things in the here and now, instead of seeming to look past them. Her eyes focused on me once more..._

_ It had only been a fortnight ago when she'd had the fit, and it had taken two days for her to come out of it. Those two day had been the most nerve-wracking. She had just sat there, eyes wide and faintly glowing, lips parted and moving soundlessly, oblivious to any attempts to rouse her..._

_ I had remained by her side for those two days, attending to her and trying to keep her too-warm skin cool with compresses. Several times, during the first few hours, I had tried to get her to come back, had called her name, had actually dared to lay my hand on her and give her a gentle shake._

_ But she barely even budged, still murmuring into the air, unblinkingly. And so I waited - intending to wait for however long it took. A day passed, and then another: it was midnight of the second day that she suddenly come out of the trance, feverish, her palms mysteriously burned..._

_ But in the end, She had finally seen it: the coming of the Hero of Time._

_ I had almost wished that she hadn't seen it, if it would have spared her the vision. But that had been a selfish one, for it was necessary: it was a sign, for a turning point after the years of resistance._

_ And now, things were happening just as she had predicted. I had returned to her, after briefly meeting the Hero of Time. It had been a precaution that I'd insisted on, and she had reluctantly given into it..._

There_. I saw it briefly, a flutter of motion down below: Link had emerged from the sacred shrine. As we watched, he swung the Master Sword experimentally, testing his new adult body with a childish curiosity. And I glanced now at Her Highness, expecting to see a look of joy upon her face, to see her rising to her feet. But instead, I found that - and she tried to hide this- her face had fallen, seeming to darken._

_ "Your Highness?" I asked uncertainly. She stiffened, realizing I had noticed. "Will you not go to him?"_

_ There was no answer._

_ I tried again. "Your Highness...?"_

_ The pale eyes flicked to me, and there was a flash across them that slipped past her control And in that moment, I saw a kind of muted disappointment, even tired sadness..._

_ "No.I don't think I will," she said slowly, and looked down. Swallowed. I realized then what had happened: she had seen him emerge, the same child years ago - the fairy boy from her memory..._

_ ...and one who had not grown up. Her Highness, unlike this Hero of Time, had been forced to grow up without him, and now saw the gap that would forever separate them. Link would never know the horrors that she'd seen, nor the painful uncertainty of the long years waiting, even if he completed his task. There were things that we'd experienced that Link would never understand, and their friendship would never be what it once was._

_ And Her Highness knew this._

_ As if sensing this, she lifted her eyes up from the ground to meet mine, bravely trying to hide the internal pain from me, and almost succeeding._

_ "You should go down and see that he has guidance, Sheik," she said softly, after a long moment's consideration. "You would do a better job of it than I ever could."_

_ I knew this wasn't true. But I also knew better than to question her orders. I rose to my feet with a small bow and turned to go._

_ "Perhaps this is for the best," I heard her Highness whisper to herself._

* * *

There was a soft nudge at my foot, and a sharp pinch of pain that just as quickly vanished, jolting me from the memory. I blinked, my eyes refocusing again and flicking back up to Link. He had nearly finished: but he was studying my eyes now with an unusual intensity that made me stiffen for a second in surprise, my ankle resting on his lap and forgotten for the moment. A slight, concerned frown crossed his lips.

"Are you okay?" he asked, after a minute's hesitation, and I somehow got the impression that he wasn't talking about my sprained ankle.

"What do you mean?"

Link didn't answer immediately, just ducked his head and and focused on finishing up on my ankle. My eyes flicked down to watch as he gently rewrapped it, his fingers only applying enough pressure to give the best support.

"You seem changed, that's all. You're not..." He finally said, and he trailed off, almost guiltily.

"Yes?"

"...Not the same person you were before," Link finished. He retied the ends of the bandages carefully. "You never used to dwell on things. I mean, you just went out and did it and never thought any more on it, and..." He paused, gathering his thoughts, ...you were always _here_."

My eyebrows furrowed. "'Here'?"

He nodded. "Sometimes it seems like you're drifting off someplace else."

I couldn't help but wince a little at the quiet, slightly uncomfortable tone Link's voice. I didn't like to think that I had changed: I had always told myself that it was only Her Highness that had done so, that I had always been unchangeable...

"Things are a little different now," I said after a moment, reluctantly.

He gave me a small, wry grin, one that was tinged with something that I couldn't quite read. "Well... I hope things aren't too different..."

I flushed ever so slightly: both at the expression and the unspoken "between us" he'd left hanging. I said nothing in response, only dropped my eyes to my foot, which was still resting on his lap. He started, realizing this, and moved to lift my foot up as I started to draw it back.

And for a moment, his fingers unconsciously lingered against my ankle for a few seconds longer than was necessary. I looked up.

He had realized it as well - a moment too late- and now it was Link's turn to drop his eyes. He stood up with an embarrassed cough and changed the subject, "I don't know why you had to insist on walking so far like that. You could have just asked, you know," And he turned away, retrieving our packs again, sniffing mock-peevishly. "And you said that Hylians were stubborn. You guys are far worse."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that as I got to my feet, gingerly testing the rewrapped ankle as I shouldered my own pack. There was a muted throb of pain, but not as sharp as before: Link had rewrapped it correctly, making sure to that it wasn't too tight or too lose, and that it gave my ankle enough support.

He turned to me, expectantly, but said nothing. I hesitated, a part of me resisting even admitting the fact that I needed any help...

I pushed that down for the time being, and stepped forward, to let him support me.

* * *

:To be continued:

* * *

**completed - 6/08/04 **

--Wyna Hiros


	7. The Fisherman and the MahHahruin

**The Fisherman and the Mah-Hahruin**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters (Nintendo does0: no money is made off this. This story, and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

* * *

**The Fisherman and the Mah-Hahruin**

* * *

_Four days had passed since our rest at the small pond.__ Ever since that meeting outside of the marshes, I'd begun to notice something different about Link - things that seemed... off. It was these strange little changes that made me pause for a moment: he rarely seemed to blink, nor tire as easily (or for that matter, sweat as much) as I would've expected._

_ I could only hope that these were the only changes in him after that time spent in the darkness with those voices and lights..._

_ But those changes seemed to go no further than skin-deep: Link was nearly the same as four years ago, when I last saw him leave, to return to that castle to confront the Dark One. A little more bitter, yes, and it was not something I could fault him for._

_ No matter what he does..._

_ ...it just never seems enough for the Three, does it?_

* * *

My ankle had all but healed now: it was still a little sore, but no longer serious. I could walk on my own, and keep up with Link. I no longer needed to use him for support, and part of me was glad. But a smaller, less controlled part of me silently regretted it, even as I set to quickening our pace. The part of me that noticed each and every touch, or little linger of his hands or eyes, and hoped for something more...

There had been hints before Link's collapse four years ago, that there could be something more between us. Although there were some definite cultural differences, we understood each other on a level that many didn't.

We were both alone - in differing ways- but alone nonetheless

* * *

I paused at the top of the ridge, taking care to hook a foot under one of the weather-beaten rocks, the wind whipping at my hair. The gentle hills of the plains had grown less and less friendly with each mile: where there'd been soft grass, there was now a near-flood of the yellow/brown, almost knife-edged stalks that grew from inbetween the rocks. Boulders - some half covered with grass, others completely barren, all wind whipped - littered the landscape now. There were also massive tears through the ground, as if this area had been devastated recently with several earthquakes.

I doubted that I'd be able to find much in the way of game, much less anything in the way of civilization.

"D'you see anything?"

I glanced down at that. Link was looking up at me expectantly from where he stood at the base of the hill-side, hugging himself to keep the morning chill away.

I spared another glance, my eyes locking onto the tell-tale glimmer of what could be a river to the north-east, nearly hidden by the jutting rock formations and sudden surge of trees. But other than that...

"No signs of even a campsite from here--" And I cut off at the sound of boots scrabbling on rocks, and looked down again: Link, impatiently, was clambering up the jagged hillside, pack slung over his shoulder. I waited as he drew closer, until he finally crested the top, breath coming out in little white clouds. I helped steady him against the strong winds as he stood up. There was a pause, and he swallowed a little unconsciously, as he stared out at these new lands. A small frown crossed his face.

And I knew that for a moment that he'd felt that gaping insignificance all of a sudden, as if the sprawling valley had tried to devour him...

"Is the rest of the world all like this?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. I've never been further than Rydel before, but I know there's several weaker kingdoms that surround our country."

Link fell silent and just gazed about at the rents through the valley below us, taking in the darker clouds that were growing closer with each hour in the overcast sky, and black forests in the distance, scattered about and gathered near what looked like a lower plateau, hidden beyond the trees and boulders.

I glanced at the approaching thunderheads on the horizon with an apprehensive eye: the wind was unusually strong here, as if something was channeling it continuously from the south-east. Because of this, there was a good chance that the storm would catch up to us in a few hours or so...

"Link," He turned at that, blinking against a sudden gust of wind, pale eyes finding mine.

I took a breath. "Which way is it?"

_/Isn't this ironic?/_

_ /...Now you're the one asking for guidance./_

He closed his eyes for a moment, brow furrowing in concentration, and turned back to the valley below us. The wind continued to whip at us, cold and bringing with it the almost acidic smell of rain-dampened dirt and rock. I watched Link. His head slowly turned a little after a minute, and a small wince flickered across his face. His eyes opened.

"It's coming from that direction." And he pointed towards the forest gathered around the largest tears in the ground, a little to the north-east. "I just can't pinpoint exactly how far away it is."

There was a little twinge of pain in his voice that I immediately caught.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly.

Link nodded. "It's okay. It's just, it's how I know we're going in the right direction: there's this little twinge in my head, like pins and needles."

He caught the little furrow of my eyebrows before I had a chance to stop it with a little grin. "Really, it's nothing."

"If you say so. If it gets worse..."

"Sheik, I'll be fine," Link repeated and that was that.

* * *

The storm had arrived an hour early, at noon: the overcast had not burned off. We had left the ridge awhile ago, and had been crossing the first series of tears when the storm's fringe struck. After the initial sprinkling, the rain came spattering down, as the sky slowly darkened.The wind had also picked up, my hair whipping at my eyes and skin, no matter how many times I brushed my bangs aside. I cursed under my breath at this - we would have to find shelter soon and get a fire going, or risk hypothermia if we kept traveling out in the open like this.

Link apparently had a similar thought, for as soon as he reached the top, he turned back towards me. There was a sudden flash in the distance, followed by a loud rumble: whatever he said was drowned out. He pointed once, towards the sky, and then towards the forest.

The clouds blackened further overhead. I redoubled my efforts to clamper over the top of the crevice and rejoin Link.

* * *

The rain had let up for the first half hour. It had begun to sprinkle lightly again by the time we'd entered the forest, although it was on and off. Before then, I'd taken the lead; it was here that we split up, keeping an eye out for any large trees or rock outcroppings that could be suitable for a shelter. I was careful to keep the both of us within hearing distance.

We didn't have to search long before something caught my eye: several boulders, around a head or two taller than I, were clumped at the base of a cliff. On top of them, an immense tree had taken root. There was a fair sized entrance that faced west, and from what I could see, no signs of it having ever served as a predator's lair.

"Link!"

He emerged from the brush, seconds later, "You found a place?"

I nodded, and pointed towards the outcropping. He bent slightly and peered inside.

"It's pretty dark."

"I know. We can try and get a fire going."

With that problem settled, he grinned and vanished inside it. A few seconds passed and, seeing that he hadn't emerged, I entered.

Link was settling against the cave wall, with a little groan that said the rest was very welcome. I let my pack slide to the ground. A quick survey of the inside of our make-shift shelter showed it to be nothing more than a small cave, with the roots from the massive tree twining around the boulders and packing the dirt tight.

I turned, in time to see him almost carelessly push his pack into a makeshift back-rest, and lean back. For a moment, the image of a smug cat came to mind - one who had _finally_ found a suitable sleeping position after several tries. I could feel a small smile tug at my mouth.

"What?"

He had noticed my gaze. I only raised an eyebrow at him in reply.

Link grimaced. "I know, I know. I'll get up, I just want to rest my feet for a little," Another pause, and he made no motion to move. "I promise, I won't fall asl--"

And a yawn suddenly interrupted him. I couldn't help but chuckle a little: between the sudden yawn, the twitch of annoyance on his face immediately after, and the way he continued to almost burrow in against the pack, I knew that there was no moving him. Even now, his eyelids were drooping.

I turned to go. We would need wood for a fire first, and clean water--

He cleared his throat, and then, softly; "You know, you never seemed to laugh that much..."

I stopped at that, and glanced back at him questioningly. He was looking up at me. I didn't reply: what kind of answer could I give to something like that?

The lack of an answer hadn't fazed him. An easy grin spread across Link's face - one that sent a flash of warmth throughout me at the sight. I blinked.

"...You have a nice laugh," was all he said, before his eyes drifted close.

* * *

Nothing but a few simple words and I was dwelling on them, even as I finished up my search for wood. It hadn't taken too long to find them, though I had to venture a fair distant from the shelter to find enough.

I knew that I shouldn't even let it affect me, but no matter what I told myself, I would think back, seeing that slow grin spread across his face. And each time, the same heat went through me.

_/He couldn't have meant anything beyond that./_

With a sigh, I tucked the small bundle under my arm and turned around, as the first raindrops started to fall: if I lingered any longer, what little I found would get soaked.

And under the shadow of a dying willow, I hesitated. Brushed aside the discolored layer of leaves with a foot.

/_What the...?/_

I blinked. There were a set of canine-like tracks sunken into the earth, far larger than that of any wolf tracks I'd ever seen before and deep, as if there were a great weight behind it.

The creature that's been following us? Even now, the forest had was eerily quiet: I had not seen a single bird even since arriving here, nor heard any other animals. Not since after the Marshes...

_ --Nolan's eyes locking onto mine in that last moment, then a large gout of blood, gurgling wetly, followed by one after another under flashing fangs and rotting grass, arms flailing and hands spasming reflexively...--_

I forced the images away, the memories souring my mouth. I swallowed. I couldn't allow myself to get distracted. I _wouldn't_ allow it.

After a moment, I straightened and frowned down at the paw marks. Whatever made them, had made them recently - the leaves had been disturbed, and freshly bruised under them. It was probably large, at least three or four feet in height, judging from the size and depth of the depressions in the ground. Already, I could all but feel my shoulders tensing up as if aware of eyes within the forest, tracking me as where I stood...

I'd delayed too long. I ducked my head away from the decaying willow leaves and uneasily, continued on my way.

* * *

It was drizzling by the time I reached the cave, and I hurried under the shelter of the rocks and roots before the firewood could get any damper. One glance showed that Link was still where I'd left him. He'd dozed off, half-lying, half-sitting up against the cave "wall", chest rising and falling softly with each breath, bangs lightly brushing against his forehead and cheeks...

I gave myself a little shake, forced myself to look away and set about separating the still-usable wood from the wet ones. I had been blatantly staring, and I knew it. I could only be thankful that he was asleep.

However, the work soon took my mind off of Link, my attention focusing on starting up a fire. The first attempt had failed - several of the twigs and the one log I'd found had been damper than I'd thought. A second attempt, after removing them, was more successful, and I soon had a fair-sized blaze going. I kept it closer to the gap in the corner, wondering at the luck of being provided with a natural vent.

Already, the temperature in our shelter began to pick up. The fire itself would last for a few hours, if I was careful with the remaining wood. Outside, the drizzle had turned, heavy rain beginning to beat down against the trees.

I gathered up the unusable wood and stood up, ignoring the crawling sensation that went up and down my right arm at the motion. Quietly, I moved to dump them outside...

...And froze. For all over the earth outside the cave, the ground was covered with the same tracks from before, circling closer and closer to the cave before they turned away and vanished back into the forest. In my haste to get the wood under cover, I'd missed them on the way in.

_/Two of them? Or just the same creature?/_

I couldn't tell. The tracks overlapped back on each other several times, as if the creature had paced back and forth. Whatever their numbers, I knew that I had made a foolish mistake, both by going off by myself, and by leaving Link so open.

I had to count myself lucky that whatever it was hadn't ventured any further.

* * *

The rain didn't let up once for the next three or so hours: it continued to steadily pour down, and it was all I could do not to pace in frustration. My upper arm was tingling, the crawling sensation that seemed to radiate more and more from the bandages was not helping matters, nor was the fact that we were effectively trapped here until the storm calmed. The sound of water against the heavy canopy and the forest floor was almost deafening: I could just barely hear Link's soft snores.

I glanced over at him, a little concerned despite myself. He'd been out for hours now, and a little part of me wondered if he was sick...

...Or whether he had fallen back into that earlier state. Whether he would wake up in another four years, and to what end...

The thought had barely completed itself before I found that I'd moved over by his side, and - kneeling - placed my hand on his forehead, half-expecting to find him all but burning with a fever.

_ /Nothing./_

I felt myself slump a little in relief: both at the fact that Link wasn't ill and at the fact that he didn't feel like that day four years ago. I'd half-expected to be greeted with the same feeling, of that faded warmth of life that was only distant and unresponsive - constant, but never with the vitality and heat of those who were awake.

I didn't drop my hand immediately, hesitating.

_ /I can allow myself this one weakness.../_

And I could. There was no threat of a spy nearby, no possibility that the Black King would learn and use it to his advantage. No way that I could put my mission or the Royal Family's mission in danger, if I followed my feelings this once...

I sat back on my heels... and let my hand drift down, taking care not to wake him. My fingers brushed gently against the side of his temple and came to rest against his cheek, and I couldn't help but marvel at how smooth his skin was.

Idly, I noted the way the changing light made his hair almost seem brown, the fact that he had a small, practically healed sunburn on the side of his face...at how he seemed so at ease when he was asleep, and the warmth, of him actually being there, that met my fingers..

_ When had it changed...?_

I sighed, and let my hand drop. What I was doing wasn't fair, to either of us.

* * *

There was nothing else to do but wait. I took my place once more near the cave's entrance, resisting the urge to scratch fiercely at the bandages on my arm and the more and more pressing desire to let my eyes fall shut. The first hour passed with difficulty, my eyelids feeling heavy...

But one glance outside, down at the tracks covering the ground chased the sleep from me. We couldn't both sleep. One of us would have to keep watch.

And I knew that I wasn't ready to wake Link.

Whatever it was, might come back, and if it caught us unawares...

I found myself starting to rub futilely at the scabbing cut on my shoulder. I was close to actually fidgeting, the irritation having grown to the point that it was difficult to ignore. Uncomfortably, I leaned back against the rock, the makeshift weapons settled across my knees - a farm sickle and knife. While Link had returned to retrieve his pack from the inn at Rydel, I'd raided one of the tool sheds.

A good deal of my supplies had been lost in the marshes: my only whetstone as well. A quick study of them showed that both the knife and sickle were dull. I bent and fished through the rocks that had -apparently- increased during the months, due to the roots' growth against the boulders. My fingers skimmed over several stones, before settling on a fist-sized one. A lookover showed that, if i was careful, it could serve as a whetstone...

Hefting the stone, I set about to slowly run the first blade against it. My mind, however, wasn't fully in the work.

_ /Does Link really feel anything beyond that of comrades?/_

I couldn't be sure, especially not from that one incident days ago. Perhaps that was all it was; an incident, and nothing more.

I glanced back at him. He was still asleep.

But it wouldn't matter either way, would it? He was going back and I owed it to him, after all he'd sacrificed for everyone...

There was a sudden flash of pain from my palm, and I flinched. I had accidentally slipped, and cut myself between my thumb and forefinger, blood welling up. I grimaced. I had been paying far too much attention to Link, and not enough to what I was supposed to be doing.

_/Stupid, stupid, stupid./_

There was a tingling sensation from the cut, mirroring the one on my arm. I softly groaned in annoyance.

_ /Probably already starting to get infected. Perfect./_

Setting the two blades and stone to rest against the wall, I stood up and walked over to where the cave ended. On impulse, I stuck my arm out, letting the rain wash the tainted blood off. Several seconds passed. The blood slowed, the little gash fading into a dull pink, the crawling feeling dying under the cool rain droplets.

I blinked, drawing back my hand.

And for a moment, Link was not at the forefront of my thoughts. I carefully flexed my hand. It was a little sore, but no more blood bubbled up. The clean water could perhaps wash my shoulder wound as well: maybe not get rid of the small infection completely, but at least soothe it before I caved in and made a mess of the healing process.

Another glance at Link, at the rain outside as I considered the idea. Neither looked like they would change anytime soon...

For a second, I hesitated, before removing the face cover. I let it drop into a small pile near one of the walls, and began to gingerly strip. Shrugging out of the top portion of my outfit, I let it pool around my waist. I couldn't help but shiver a little, as the cold air washed against my chest and face.

I stretched my arm out beyond the overhang. Instantly, it was soaked. Carefully, I rubbed away the scab on my arm, and let the water carry off the small well of blood that followed, until it slowed as well. With one hand, I rebound it with the clean side of the bandages.

But I didn't move back immediately, still looking at the rain outside.

_ /Perhaps.../_

The thought was tempting: so much that I acted on it almost instantly. Quickly, I ducked my head out into the rain. A little gasp of breath escaped from me at the sudden contact of the cold water, but I didn't pull back as it washed the dust and grime of travel from my hair. I let it soak in for a second or two before I quickly straightened, brushing my hair back with a hand.

My mind seemed to clear, the sleep fading completely at the cold water. I was seeing things with far more clarity once again, noticing each little detail, almost as I had those long years before--

I stiffened. There was a sound; a soft rustle against the dirt.

_ /The animal?/_

Silently, I groaned; my weapons weren't at my side, but leaning against the cave-wall behind me. Letting my hand drop, I slowly turned my head ever so slightly to glance back. What I saw caught me more off guard than any number of scavenging creatures.

Link was awake...and his eyes were on me, widening from beneath his bangs.

_ /He can't be.../_

But he was; he was watching me, and not in a way that could exactly be called platonic. A little spark seemed to jump down past my stomach at this.

_/How long? How long has he been awake?/_

I held my breath. I was suddenly all too aware of the water dripping down my bare back, each track being traced by the Hylian on their way down to my hips. Link's mouth had closed, eyes almost seeming to darken with something I couldn't quite read.

I forced myself to look away and back out at the rain. I was faced with a predicament. Did I let him know that I had caught him? And if I'd completely misread the possibilities in his look, what then? The thought barely completed itself before I already had my answer.

I began to get dressed once more, carefully shrugging the top back on. I took my time - just enough to give Link the chance to pretend to do as he chose. Retrieving the face cover from the ground, and letting it settle once more in its accustomed place, I turned slowly. At this point, it was up to him what his next move would be.

His eyes had closed, just as I'd guessed. I sighed, and leaned once more against the wall.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Link had drifted off again several minutes after I'd gotten dressed again. I had started to doze off as well, despite my resolve. For a few seconds, my head drooped, until my chin rested against my chest: it was Link's touch on my shoulder that started me out of my sleep. He grinned apologetically at me.

"Rain's stopped."

I rubbed at my eyes, trying to shake the leaden feeling from them, and looked outside. The rain had ceased completely, although there was a light mist. The morning sun was shining brightly through the wet tree branches, the forest filled with the sound of water falling from leaves onto the forest floor. But there was still no sign nor sound of animal life.

A part of me couldn't help but be grateful that I wasn't alone in this forest.

I got to my feet, and gathered my things. He turned to do the same.

"With any luck, we can put some distance between us and this place," I said. And for a moment, I hesitated, before adding carefully. "You slept well, I take it?"

He went still for a second, and then - shouldering his pack- turned, flashing me a grin that didn't seem as easy as before."Like a log."

I didn't press the matter any further.

* * *

We'd been walking for several hours. A path slowly began to appear as we plunged deeper into the forest. Even so, it seemed nothing more than a game trail at first, and if not for Link's intervention, I would have passed it off. I spared as much food as I could for a morning meal as we carefully made our way through the underbrush. Despite the weariness that dragged at my limbs, I forced myself to be alert, on the lookout for the owner of the paw-prints.

Ever since that night in the cave, I felt as if something had shifted ever so slightly between us. Link's eyes seemed to stray constantly towards me, and it suddenly seemed that the newly gained confidence had faded into uncertainty whenever he looked at me. They would flee when they met mine, only to return once my gaze turned elsewhere.

_/Or perhaps I'm the one who can't keep their eyes to themselves?/_

The thought brought a wry smile to me lips for a moment, before it quickly faded. Whatever was (or wasn't) between us shouldn't be taken so lightly - especially when the Queen's bidding was at stake, my mind added, almost as as an afterthought. But that reasoning felt half-hearted. I knew that wasn't the whole reason I was more concerned than usual about this.

I looked back towards Link. He was leading the way now, for the path had narrowed down even more. The Hylian was moving with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where they were going: already, he had taken us down several nearly-hidden paths that I would've missed.

_ /This was more than just the mission. /_

"You okay?" I started at the sudden question. Link had turned to glance back at me questioningly, as he clambered over a fallen log that blocked our way. I realized too late that I'd been staring blatantly at him again, and couldn't help but flush a little with embarrassment.

"I'm fine," I replied. Link raised an eyebrow at that as he slid down the other side of the log, clearly not believing a word of it. "Just a little tired," I added.

"Would you like to rest?"

I started to climb over the log. "No. I'd like to make as much ground as we can before nightfall."

Link reached out to offer a steadying hand, which I waved off: tired or not, I still maintained my sense of balance. No sooner had my feet touched the ground, I paused, and tilted my head. There was a new sound, filling the void of animal sounds - a muffled, continuous roar in the distance.

"Can you hear that?"

Link turned, and cocked his head. "It sounds almost like Zora's Domain."

So I wasn't hearing things.

"Why? What's so important about it?" Link asked. We didn't stop for long, and continued on our way, the unspoken rest over. Once again, he took the lead, although he looked back towards me.

"It means that - if it's on the way- we can spare the waterskins." And I trailed off, cutting off the suggestion of potential baths before it left my lips.

Link didn't say anything; instead he just nodded, and turned back to focus fully on leading our way through the forest. Despite the calm, almost small talk, I knew that memory of the night before was still fresh in both our minds.

* * *

The morning mist hadn't burned off. Instead, it had grown thicker, the temperature dropping. We had both fallen silent, intent on carefully making progress and our own thoughts. The going was slow now; I could barely see three feet in front of me. For a little while earlier, I led the way. For an hour, we had been trapped in a deep, dried up riverbed - even with my training, it had taken nearly half an hour to get the both of us out of it. Once out of it, Link had moved to resume the lead, letting his better sense of hearing guide us. I noticed that he was leading us (whether he paid this fact any attention or not) towards the dull roar.

It was afternoon now, when - for the first time in hours- we broke free of the seemingly endless ocean of trees, coming out into a small beach of gray sand and dirt. Before us, I could see a dark, rippling blur - a lake, most likely: the fog obscured whatever was beyond it.

Link hadn't stopped, until he stood at the very edge of the lake, the dark waters lapping at his boots. I halted at his side, already deciding against the waterskins idea at the sight of the silt blackened waters. Link had a puzzled look on his face, as if he hadn't quite expected this.

"We have to cross this."

I gave the deceptively gentle waves a frown. The fog made it next to impossible to see just how large the lake was: I didn't know whether or not we could swim across it or walk around it. I wasn't going to do the former if I could help it. I knew from the years before that what looked harmless enough were anything but.

"I don't think we should try to swim it. The lake could be miles in diameter," I answered. "Are you sure this is right way?"

Link never got the chance to answer, for a rough voice suddenly sounded from the fog further down the beach. We both jumped.

"Yer back agin?! I told ye' afore to get out of 'ere: I en't gunna repeat m'self!"

The voice grew louder and angrier as it drew closer, a black blob in the mist.

"I warned ye that I'd be waitin' an' I _en't_ gunna be stolen from agin! This time, you en't gettin' off lightly!"

The voice had come from the left and my eyes flicked toward it, my hand straying to the make-shift weapons at my side. If this stranger intended to attack us, I would have to strike and quickly; with the flimsy blades, I couldn't afford to get engaged in direct combat anymore and Link...

A moment's assessment: he was only carrying a sword, of the same length as the Master Sword, but nowhere near was deadly. And then there was the matter of the thing's most likely different balance, and...

The grumbling and cursing was suddenly clear, surprisingly loud as the shape broke through the heavy misty and hobbled into view. The shadow had dwindled down. It was only an old man, carrying nothing more than a fishing pole and a battered tackle box, an equally tattered hat perched upon his silver head, shoulders hunched with the weight of the years.

I instantly let my hand drop away from my side, feeling more than a little foolish. From the sudden slump of Link's shoulders, I could tell he'd was feeling the same. The old man blinked at us as he came to a stop in front of us, a puzzled frown deepening on his wrinkled face.

"Eh? Ye en't those hooligans?"

The frown had sharpened further into a suspicious glare that he pinned Link with it as he leaned towards him. "Ye 'specially look like one..."

I took the opportunity to step in, "We're just travelers. We mean no harm."

The old man pulled away from Link and chortled at me, shaking the fishing pole at me, "Course ye don't. Age or not, I could still show ye both a thing or two."

Link shot me a Look, an amused grin tugging at his lips. I decided to humor the old man, although somewhat impatiently. "I'm sure you could."

"An' I might still do it. Who are ye and what're ye wantin' here on my lake?"

I hesitated for a brief second, my name on the tip of my tongue before I thought better of it. I couldn't take any chances, no matter how far we were from central Hyrule.

"I don't give out my name to those without one of their own," I said.

The old man blinked, surprised. It was quickly smoothed over; a small smirk further increasing the wrinkles around his face, although he tried to cover it with gruff.

"Ye kin call me 'The Fisherman', as that's what I am: name's none of yer business."

That made things easier. "And you may call me _Yarsha_, because that's what I am."

The smirk resurfaced briefly before the Fisherman flicked his rheumy gaze back at Link. "And I suppose your name is 'hooligan'?"

It was Link's turn to glare at him, before he shot me another look - this time there was no trace of humor in it. I sighed quietly. Sooner or later I would have to tell him why my name wasn't safe. But part of me wasn't ready to do that - I knew that the answer would lead to more questions, and if he found out the answers to those...

Would he continue with me?

For a moment, I could see him debating whether to follow suite or not, and not liking it one bit. Lying had never come easily to Link years before, nor did bending the truth to any degree - the time spent in the darkness hadn't changed that.

"I'm his... his friend," Link mumbled lamely.

The Fisherman raised an eyebrow, but after a second's consideration, changed the subject.

"Well, Yarsha an' Yarsha's friend, may I ask what yer bus'ness is 'ere?"

I glanced at Link. He bit his lip and looked down, the guilt at just lying all but written across his forehead. I frowned.

"We're looking for a way across the lake," And I glanced back at the Fisherman. "Perhaps you could ferry us across? We'll pay--"

"There en't been nobody here for months but me'self. Why're ye thinkin' of passing over my lake all've a sudden?" The suspicion returned in the old man's voice. I blinked.

"We're going east. I was told that this was the quickest way."

"Well, ye were told wrong. There en't no way 'cross the Lake," The Fisherman said firmly. The fishing pole came down with a _thunk_.

Link's eyebrows furrowed. "Why not? You don't have a boat or something?"

"Do I look like I'm made o' rupees? There en't no way 'cross th' Lake. Ye'd best be goin' back th' way ye came. Head fer th' Darmani trade road, as it's th' only way to get east." The eyes narrowed, the hint of friendliness from before vanishing completely. "Ye've wasted yer time and mine. Now be off with th' lot of ye, 'afore I make ye! "

Link started to step towards the Fisherman in protest, but I stopped him with a slight shake of my head. I had immediately seen the twitch of the old man's hand toward his hip, had caught the little glint of metal.

I knew that we could both overpower him, easily. Two youths against one old man, but...

Instead, I bowed slightly, and withdrew with Link at my side, going back the way we came.

* * *

I didn't stop until we were out of sight, and out of the old man's hearing range. As soon as we halted, I sat down. There was something off, ever since that night in the forest, and it was tugging at the fringe of my memory. However, the silence abruptly ended, when Link suddenly sent a stone flying into the brush with an irritated kick.

"Look, I know what you're thinking. I _know_ that this way is the right way."

"You mean the quickest way."

He raised an eyebrow, "And that's not the right way? Sheik, I'm guessing from what he told us, it would be the long way around. It would take...well, I don't know--"

"Two months, if what he told us was correct," I confirmed.

"--A long time just to reach the same point," Link finished.

I said nothing.

"I don't like that guy. I really don't."

"Nor do I. He's lying, anyway."

Link started, and glanced down at me in surprise.

"You didn't catch it, did you?" I closed my eyes for a second, my mind replaying all the little details I'd taken note of during the meeting. "There was no line on the fishing pole, nor anything in the tackle box - the rattle of it was far too empty. His hands were too smooth as well, for supposedly making his living on this lake."

Link cocked his head, the annoyance starting to drain away at this, his interest piqued.

"So what exactly are you getting at?"

"He's not a fisherman. And there's something he's not telling us," I said. "I wouldn't be surprised to find that there is a way across the lake."

He didn't say anything at first, just folded his arms and leaned back against a tree trunk. In the silence, I chanced a glance up at him, from the corner of my eye. He wasn't watching me anymore with that unreadable gaze. Instead, he was worrying at his lip with his teeth, staring off into space. I didn't push him. I knew from experience that he was considering the situation a little more carefully now, a frown tugging at his mouth.

And then:

"So what do we do?"

I looked up, meeting his eyes.

"We go back at sunset, and have a look for ourselves. Without the interruption."

* * *

I woke up, at the first chills of the new night beginning to fall. At Link's insistence, I had taken the opportunity to catch up on lost sleep while he sat watch. I didn't argue: my concentration had been fading with each minute. I wasn't about to let myself do something stupid and get killed just because of my pride.

I shifted uncomfortably, and after unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep again, sat up. The sun had sunk down to hide beyond the mountains and treetops, the last dying rays streaking the sky. Link, seeing the motion, glanced over at me from his place atop a nearby boulder.

Our eyes met, silently. And then, wordlessly, Link slid off the boulder and vanished into the forest.

We made our way through the forest, as quietly as we could, heading back towards the lake. It didn't take long until the forest ended and the beach came into view. The light from the sun was fading, the fog growing thicker as we halted at the treeline.

I stopped Link, motioning for him to wait, and gestured towards me and the empty beach. He nodded.

Cautiously, I stepped out onto the beach, balancing lightly on the balls of my feet, half-crouched. One step, and another, moving soundlessly until I was at the water's edge. I glanced back. Link was watching me from under the shadow of the trees, nothing more than a dark blur in the fog. Taking note of where he was, I moved further down the beach to the left, keeping low to the ground and moving swiftly. I had gone several yards down the shoreline, and made passes at the rest of the beach: but there was no sign of the Fisherman's footprints on the sands nor of the marks of a tackle box being dragged, much less any signs of the Fisherman himself.

He either didn't have a cabin around here, period, or perhaps there was one on the other side of the lake. Whichever it was, the Fisherman was clearly not around. I turned, and went back the way I came, following my barely perceptible tracks. The light from the setting sun had vanished completely, darkness descending. Link hadn't moved, squinting against the fog. The relief flashed across his face as I appeared from out of the fog at his side. He started to open his mouth, to greet me. I only shook my head at him. He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"You think he's still around?"

I gave a little shrug, and just as quietly; "I don't know. Perhaps."

I stepped back out towards the beach, indicated back at Link that he take the lead. Another nod, and he ventured out. He moved slowly, too slowly for my liking, but I knew that he was being cautious; he knew that there was the the possibility of the buckles and shield clasps making noise. He lead us in the opposite direction, towards the right. Time seemed to vanish, as we went further and further into the thickening fog, the way taking us up onto a slope. The beach after awhile vanished, replaced by craggy rocks. I kept an eye on Link, never letting him completely vanish into the mist, as we made our way upwards.

Twenty minutes must've passed. We were on a particularly nasty set of boulders that formed the beginnings of sloping cliff-wall. I had managed to get a secure grip to cross a gap when the first flash came. For a second, I no longer saw sharp rocks underneath my bandaged fingers, nor a glimpse of Link scaling the wall a little ahead of me, close enough not to be swallowed up in the darkening fog. Instead, for that brief instant, I was surrounded by sunlight, the sound of a gentle breeze rustling through leaves overhead...and a little toddler, a girl, at my side, holding my hand.

The vision was gone almost as soon as it came, and the dismal gray and blacks of the mist and rocks returning. I had gasped, almost blinded, sparks swimming across my field of vision.

Link turned immediately to look back down on me.

"Sheik?" He whispered.

I gave my head a shake.

"It's nothing. Keep going," I murmured back. He frowned, but pressed forward. After a moment, I did the same, unable to shake the feeling that something was whispering in my head, had been whispering from the very moment I'd entered the forest.

There were no more visions until we'd cleared the top of the cliff. The roaring from before was even louder, coming from further up ahead. Before us, the weeds of the cliff-top continued further up and vanished into the fog. No sooner had I taken a step forward, did I find that I was once again surrounded by sunlight, by breeze, and the rustling of leaves in the summer. My gaze had gone down, to look at the little girl. My hand wasn't my own, but larger, tanned and weathered by the sun, gently letting myself be led by the girl. Laughing, she was dragging me somewhere...

And it was gone again. This time, I managed to keep quiet. Instead, I focusing on recovering my vision, taking care to keep my footing as we continued upwards. Link was moving a little faster up ahead, with a bit more confidence on the smoother surface. For several minutes, it seemed that we were only ascending further and further. For awhile, it seemed as if we had been frozen in time, always walking or climbing, but getting no further.

But I listened for the roar of water, and knew that we were making progress.

_:Often, we are hidden by masks. Are you who you say you are?:_

I nearly jerked at the sudden voice, startled, and looked at Link. "Did you say something?"

He blinked, and shook his head. Frowning, I only gestured once again for him to continue on. He did so reluctantly, the concern for me distracting him. For a second, he stumbled. Automatically, I reached out and steadied him. The move was returned by a grateful smile from Link, before he straightened, and pushed on ahead--

Another flash, and one that nearly made me lunge forward. The little girl and I were at a cliffside now, overlooking what appeared to be a massive bowl of water, dug into the very earth by the ravages of time and waters before. Several rivers were emptying into it, but there was scarcely a ripple on the surface. I was somehow sitting down on the clifftop, fairly close by, and just enjoying the sunlight. There was a moment when I closed my eyes, where it seemed to freeze, and then I looked up slowly...in time to see the girl slip on a patch of wet moss, and screaming, fall from sight off the cliffside.

The vision left me shaking. But I hadn't stopped, instead just following Link, my jaw clenched.

_ :I repeat myself. Are you who you say you are?:_

_ /I don't know what're you talking about./_

A minute passed without an answer, and I wondered if I was starting to just hear things. The "trail" had leveled out into a plateau.

:_Then I ask you, is your purpose true?:_

Of course it was, I mentally snapped back. There was a hint of mocking laughter in the back of my head, one that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

:_Boundaries and walls are set in place for a reason. If they interfere with your 'purpose', would you cross them?: _

I said nothing to that.

_ :I see. I have my answers then.:_

The whispering suddenly seemed to vanish, the crash of water almost deafening as it returned full force. There were no more flashes: they seemed to have vanished with the murmurings. My vision cleared, to see that Link had halted further up ahead, a gray blur in the heavy mist.

"Sheik? Where are you?" he hissed, the worry harsh in his voice.

"I'm here," I called back, softly.

He relaxed as I joined him. Standing at the very cliff-edge, we looked down, to see black plains far below us, impossible large, and miles across from end to end. The very air was filled with the crash and roar of water. The fog seemed even heavier here: it was cold, clinging to my hair and skin.

"What is this place?" Link murmured.

_ /He doesn't like it either.../_

The clifftop vanished towards our right, obscured by shadow and mist. And right before my eyes, it seemed to shift, tilting back down towards the way we came. My eyes narrowed at seeing this, not liking the suddenly increased chances of getting lost...

...When an unpleasantly familiar voice called out from the fog.

"A mite...ar from th'...armani road, are ye?"

The Fisherman. We didn't say anything, just drew closer to one another.

"You en't lost, I take it. An' I tried to let ye off easy..."

The voice seemed to flit from place to place, all but impossible to pin down a direction.

"But I owe it fer what it didn't do. This sea, it didn't claim her."

The Fisherman's voice drew nearer. I felt Link start to move unconsciously forward towards it, saw the dark blob in the mist that was his head turn. Instinctively, my fingers tightened warningly on his shoulder, and he stilled.

"An' now p'rhaps ye understand: this sea now, there ain't nothing for it. It hungers, and it'll be fed, right as not."

I felt Link give a little shiver at that.

"Don't rightly matter anyhow, what I think of it. It saved me sister, instead of eatin' 'er like the others...so I figure I owe it..."

I felt the Fisherman draw nearer, the fog seeming to thin ever so slightly. I glanced down, the darker blob that I had mistaken for the plains solidifying into the source of the roar - an ocean gathered in the bowl, a raging whirlpool powered by the rivers that had centered in and emptied into it.

_/It's that place: the one from the visions./_

And I suddenly understood what I'd glimpsed before, sinking feeling in my stomach: one of the Fisherman's visits to this place - a fateful one that resulted in his sister falling from the cliffside into the sea below. Presumably to her death.

I sensed that the Fisherman had appeared from out of the mist. He was standing behind us now, and - I started- placed a hand on our backs to steady us at the cliff-edge.

"'It'? What do you mean? What is this place?" Link asked. The uncomfortable terseness in his voice seemed to echo back at him mockingly from the fog.

There was no immediate answer. I turned my head a little, trying to catch a glimpse of the old man.

"The Mah-Hahruin," The Fisherman finally answered, barely anything more than a whisper.

A chill went down my spine. I was all but digging my fingers into Link's shoulder, hands clenching involuntarily at the name, as if clinging to keep him near. He flinched.

"That's right, Sheikah," The Fisherman's rustic drawl had suddenly vanished and smoothed out, cold and inhuman now, the voice from earlier, the hand on my back different. They were no longer with fingers, but paw-like and tingling with restrained strength. "The Black Sea that claims the souls that fall into it. They say that some few escape it every thousand years, you know, but... I'm afraid it won't be you two. Good-bye..."

Several things happened at those last words: Link was suddenly sent staggering forward with a hard shove from behind and with a cry, vanished from view as he tumbled off the cliff... and just as I turned to retaliate at the treachery, I was struck across the face, hard, by a bunched claw. The vicious blow was enough to make the world black in and out for a moment, and when it swam vaguely back into focus, I was distantly watching myself plummet from the cliffside, the taste of blood in my mouth and wind whistling through my hair... and growing farther and farther away, the shadow of something distinctly fox-like with multiple tails staring down at me from the cliff-top as I fell...

I struck the dark waters seconds later, the icy touch of it seeming to steal the very breath from my lungs and my vision, seeming to freeze the very blood in my veins...

* * *

:To be continued:

* * *

**Completed: 9/17/04**  
Notes: I would like to thank Klena, without whose marvelous beta-ing, this chapter would still be lying on my hard-drive, a victim of my procrastination.

--Wyna


	8. OIkirith

**O-Ikirith**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters (Nintendo does): no money is made off this. This story, and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

Notes: the flashbacks jump around/only are for the beginning. For the most part, italics are the current Aceilux area until mid-chapter, normal text is flashbacks until the large break.

* * *

**O-Ikirith**

* * *

_I'd blacked out for only a few seconds, coming to only to find that I was tumbling head over heals in the ice cold water, surrounded by foam. Immediately, I flung out my arms, trying to slow the wild spin, and failing. I was slammed against a crevice in the rock, the breath knocked out of me. But for a second, I was pinned, and able to right myself. Bracing myself against the cliffside, I pushed off as hard as I could with my legs, and began to wildly kick my way towards the roiling surface._

_ My head broke the surface for only an instant, the night air seeming to burn against my face. Overhead, I caught a glimpse of stars peeking through the gaps in the fog. There was no sign of that fox-like shadow on the cliffside._

_ I had only that brief moment to drag in a lungful of air, before the churning waters dragged my head back under._

* * *

The air was stale, musty with the stench of death. Carefully, I made my way towards the Temple of Time on the deteriorating rooftops. Once or twice, the tiles had slipped, shattering against the sound. Each time, they went miraculously unnoticed by the monsters that roamed the abandoned streets. and I had to wonder whether or not this had been a good idea.

I had snuck out in those early hours before sunrise, and as quietly as I could, had saddled up my horse and made for the castle. I knew what I was doing was risky - foolish even- but the Princess had confirmed that today was the arrival of the Chosen One. Impa had immediately planned to head out in the late morning or afternoon, as soon Her Highness was feeling stronger.

But I hadn't wanted to wait. I wanted to see him for myself, to judge if he was worth putting our fate into his hands. I didn't know what I was going to do when I met this Hero of Time. After all these years, I'd heard a lot about him from Impa and the Princess.

I did know that I was prepared to detest him. Whenever he arose as a topic of conversation, her Highness' face would seem to light up, a gentle smile gracing her lips - it was one that I'd rarely seen before. At first, I had been somewhat awed at the stories of his adventures, at his promised role within the Princess' prophecy. But it had slowly changed into something else - as the years passed, I no longer asked to hear any more of him, other than to wonder if he was ever going to return.

Instead, I began to avoid the topic if I could. I felt uncomfortable, at seeing and hearing the fondness in the Princess' face and voice, all for someone who hadn't returned for years, for someone who wasn't here when they were needed most.

I hadn't known what it was then. But as I grew older, I began to recognize it for what it was and had to wonder at it; it was envy, a silent jealousy and dislike of this mysterious stranger who had earned such high regard from her Majesty somehow...

I paused at the corner of the last rooftop and crouched, scanning the streets and alleyways. I couldn't afford to do anything stupid (_well, anything more foolish than this,_ I amended), no matter how much of a hurry I was in.

Whether I liked him or not didn't matter - if he really _was_ the Chosen One, I'd have no choice but to tolerate him. That thought didn't go over happily, as I leapt down from the rooftop. I landed lightly on the grass on the other side of the fence. I was on the Temple of Time's grounds now, but that didn't mean it was safe. Keeping low to the ground, I crossed the unkempt lawns, until I had come towards the back of the building.

I stared up at the Temple's wall. The closest window was meters off the ground and from the looks of it, could be opened without breaking it. I began to climb. The footholds were easy to find, especially with the weed growth over the long years that had latched onto the stones.

Another possibility, one even less pleasant than this newcomer came to mind, as I considered possible entries into the shrine. The Dark One may have found a way to somehow deceive her Highness' senses. For all we knew, this was a set-up.

This was entirely too likely. It had happened once before, and had nearly ended in disaster. It was very likely this was another of the Black King's traps. He had finally found a weakness of her Highness' senses, and could be exploiting it...

But this time, the Princess wasn't present. This time, I was ready.

I was at the window now, and just reaching to undo the clasp on it with a hand, when the first flash of light flooded the chambers.

/_Some new devilry of the Black King?/_

Inside, I was restless, anxious, wondering at the possibility that I was right. The light flared again, weak at first, but pulsing and growing stronger with each throb. I sucked in a breath to steady my nerves, and pushing open the window, pulled myself into the chamber, and began to carefully make my way down.

Even as I began my descent, below I could see a shape taking form on the sword's pedestal...

* * *

I hadn't waited for him to turn around - he was armed and the possibility that he was a new spy of the Dark One was too great. I wasn't going to let him have the opportunity to create more trouble for us. He would not step beyond the Shrine's doors if I could help it.

I acted immediately, the slide of my shoes against the temple floor the only warning he had. In those few seconds as the blue fires faded from the pedestal, and as he had stepped away from it, I had crossed the distance between us. I slammed into him. He was completely taken by surprise, and had no time to recover: the force of my weight carried us both against one of the temple walls. He barely had any time to even yelp in surprise before I had him pinned, a knife out and at his throat.

"Who are you?" I murmured in his ear. "Answer quickly, if you value your life..."

There was no reply at first: he was winded and unconsciously I let up a little, to at least give him enough air to speak. Spy or not, I'd give him that chance. A second or so passed, and he turned his head slightly to try and look back at me.

"You think I'm going to tell my name to you? I'm not stup-"

He was cut off, as I let the knife dig into his neck a little, although not enough to break the skin.

"I'm not going to play games. I could easily slit your throat right here."

He was silent, although I could feel him glaring at me.

"Who are you, and which side do you serve?" I asked.

"I could ask the same of you," he shot back.

I said nothing to that, and let the knife break the skin, deep enough to draw blood. He went still. I opened my mouth, to let him know I was serious... when I let out a sharp hiss, at a sudden pain from the tip of one of my ears. Another one followed almost immediately and with a curse, I swatted at my assailant, only to receive another pinprick of pain and then several more. Frustrated, I snapped my head away, to deal with this annoyance.

I stilled. There was a glowing orb hovering in the air, wings beating frantically as it tensed to attack or flee.

I'd never seen a fairy before, but I knew enough from talk and the old records to recognize one. The little creature was buzzing around my head, trembling with agitation, and I lowered my hand slowly, to show it that I meant it no harm. If this creature was here, _protecting_ this boy like this...

Then I'd nearly made a grievous mistake. I'd been completely wrong, and this wouldn't have happened if I'd stopped a little and assessed the situation a little longer. Fairies would not aid evil creatures, much less appear near them: certainly never a minion of the Dark One.

This was no spy.

* * *

_The world was tumbling over and over on itself, and just the flashes of sky, water, foam, and rock were enough to make my stomach roil._

_I was being tossed by the currents, barely avoiding another slam against the rock wall before I was sent spinning once more out towards the center of the ocean. The world was blurring as it reeled wildly, and I had a second's realization that I was going to die.._--

* * *

I stepped back to give him space, feeling more than a little guilty and annoyed with myself, and wondering if I'd completely destroyed any chances of getting the Hero of Time to help us.

The boy turned as soon as I let him up, scowling, a hand going up to rub at the cut on his neck. I winced a little now at the sight of blood on his fingertips.

And for a moment, neither of us said anything, just stared back at the other. Now that I had the chance, I openly studied him. He seemed to be my age... although there was something strange about him, as if his outward appearance didn't quite match what was within. I took note of the strange dark-green tunic, the shield bearing the Royal Family's crest, the sacred blade, both an awkward weight hanging from his hands.

The fact that he could touch that sword, could have removed it from the pedestal in the first place should have been sign enough of just who he was...

...and I was going in circles.

But most of all, I noticed the piercing blue eyes that never flinched from mine. And for a moment then, I'd forgotten exactly how to breathe.

He was looking at me, with the same - if not more - fascination, taking in what must have seemed like extremely foreign clothes, the face cover. Any anger or irritation was momentarily forgotten: his eyes always seemed to come back to mine as if drawn there, and I began to get an inkling of what the Princess had been talking about.

* * *

I hadn't quite apologized back then: a stubborn part of me refused to be apologetic for having the Princess' best interests in mind. The thought of Her Highness, and the memory of her almost blind hope in waiting for him was enough to bring back that wave of suspicion, of dislike: looks meant nothing, nor did his Presence, if he couldn't help us. They meant nothing to those that died years before waiting for him.

In a way, I knew I was being irrational. I was blaming him for something that I doubted he had any control of. But it didn't matter. I didn't doubt his allegiance any longer. But I did doubt whether he could live up to all he was made out to be.

He was a child in an adult's body, after all.

I'd been curt with him. I had told him my name though and assured him of exactly whose side I was on, before leaving him. I said nothing of what he should be doing, beyond dropping the hints that he might find allies in Kakariko. Until I was sure of what the Princess wanted, I would say nothing more. I'dinterfered enough as it was.

And I found that I no longer wanted to be in his presence.

She would be arriving soon with Impa, and I wasn't looking forwarding to explaining why exactly their Hero was bleeding...

* * *

_The face cover was drifting off, but I barely noticed it. I was beginning to tremble violently from the cold, eyes falling shut as if weighed down with lead. Feeling was slowly draining from my body._

_I was sinking down, further and further from the surface._

* * *

Watching Link stumble out of the first temple had struck something within me, something that until now I'd tried to resist for the past month. It had taken him half a week to cross the great plains back to the Kokiri Forest on foot - he traveled with only the fairy for company, although I watched him from afar and made sure that the worst of the shadows never touched him.

I hadn't wanted to get to know him, or to have any contact with him unless it was absolutely necessary. I didn't want to think of him as anything other than a tool necessary in saving Hyrule.

But it was after he'd crawled out of the first shrine to collapse outside that the resolve to stay aloof, to dislike, perhaps detest him wavered, and began to weaken. I began to realize that this was a boy who was very quickly becoming a man, far too quickly - he hadn't had even the "luxury" that I had, the security of being there every moment. He was sacrificing his childhood and himself just to save us all. He never asked for a word of thanks or gratitude, nor asked anything of me other than guidance - he just went out because he knew in his heart that it was the right thing to do, not because he was forced to. He risked death each day.

I had broken my vow to stay back and, entering the clearing, lifted him up and bore him away. It had taken awhile to nurse him back to health: I knew that I should be pushing him out to the next shrine as quickly as I could.

But I found I didn't have the heart to.

When he finally woke up on his own, the surprise on his face was clear as day at finding me there hovering over him. But neither of us had said anything about it, as if aware that addressing that fact might cause it to change, to make things go back to the same uneasy distance between us. I stayed silent as I dabbed at his wounds, and he said nothing about it.

The next day, I quietly taught him how to hold his sword right and the basics of fighting, with blade and with bow, until he could do so with more confidence.

* * *

_I was being engulfed in blackness, darkness that constricted and froze and bit as it drained the life from me..._--

* * *

**Hyrule Field**

It felt like I was being engulfed in a slow burning fire: I was half-awake, tossing and turning restlessly.

Things had been going to plan, or as close as they could be. For the first time in months, I was not by the Chosen One's side - Link had chosen to rest briefly before heading towards the Zora's kingdom, and I took the opportunity to check in on the Princess. I noted unhappily that things had grown more distant between us, more formal. Even before Link's arrival, we'd been spending more time apart. There was no familiar smile or easy touch on the shoulder or hand from her on this visit, only a quiet, business-like attitude.

I knew that it was to be expected. We were both busy, and there had been nothing between us (much as I had wished it in my earlier years) beyond friendship to begin with. To come back in this hour and expect anything more was foolish.

I'd chosen to camp out on the clifftop, rather than accept her offer to stay in village this time. It was just as well that I did.

The dream had returned, after nearly a year and a half since the last one: I had never really had time nor care to pay attention to my own needs and until recently, they had vanished. I wasn't aware that I'd ever have the luxury of them anymore.

The dream started the same: a reassuring touch here and there, a gentle laugh - one, that until now, I had never been able to place the gender. A shimmer of light on blonde hair, pale eyes that flashed at me briefly. The person had always seemed to have the sun at their back as they knelt next to me and before, no matter how hard I tried to look, the gender always eluded me, the face always in shadow as lips touched mine. I had tried to guess - a part of me had assumed it to be Her...

I was barely conscious of the fact that I had twisted and turned on the bedding, to roll over onto my stomach.

The kiss was chaste, for a moment, and then a warm tongue would part my lips...

The building heat had moved down to pool past my stomach, coiling, tensing.

The figure would whisper into my ear, asking me something to which - whenever I woke up - I could never remember my response. But it seemed to please them. More kisses, and then a hand would press against the front of my leggings, fingers curling to slowly cup and stroke, slow at first, and then a little harder, teasingly...

The barely conscious part of me knew that I was beginning to languidly push against the blankets and padding when the urge took me.

The hand would give one last squeeze before moving. I would seek for them with my hand, but they would lean back into the light: and every time I started to sit up, to seek them out, the hand would reappear, suddenly hot against my skin, tight and gripping on me, having somehow pushed away the layers of fabric separating me from them.

I was pushing now with abandon, the friction and heat unbearable. I expected it to end, as it usually did, only...

The figure leaned towards me, out of the light. The features finally became clear in that moment, the body solidifying into a definite gender - and at the same time, with a ragged groan, I came with a final push into the bedding, the sleep falling completely from me. All the tension that had been building up in the past months, since the last time long before was _finally_ released, the white-hot sparks drained out of me in a rush. I couldn't move for several seconds, could do nothing more than gasp for air, and force myself to release the blankets from my grip.

I was still shuddering from the aftershocks of my orgasm when I finally opened my eyes, to stare into the darkness.

I was alone on the clifftop, half-tangled in tattered blankets, the sound of my failed attempts to regain control of my breathing seeming to thunder in the silence. My body lay satisfied, but my mind was not. I couldn't help but feel disturbed at the turn this had all taken, at who this dream-figure had revealed itself as.

I had only to close my eyes to see that face burned into my memory. The blond hair, short, sometimes unkempt, the piercing eyes...

Link.

* * *

_ From out of the inky void, I felt something - barely warmer than the icy waters all around- against my face. I didn't respond at first, barely aware of anything beyond the dying fire in my lungs, the freezing water that was growing numb._

_ I didn't react at first to the touch. But the touch (another mouth?) was insistent, a little firmer here and there, on my cheek, my chin..._

_ My eyelids weren't responding, as if the cold had forced a great weight on them. I didn't have the strength to even try and lift my head as the touch (another mouth..?) finally settled against my lips. My mind was starting to blank out, the air having gone stale._

_ The lips(?) didn't move from against mine. Hazily, I got the impression that they were waiting, but what for...?_

* * *

**Kakariko - Shadow Temple**

The Shadow appeared before sunset, the top of the well rattling. It was evening when it broke free; it destroyed the restraints I'd tried to set on it. I didn't have anything close to Impa or her Highness in terms of spiritual power. What little I had, had been shattered as easily as if it had been glass.

Link chose that moment to arrive and in that one glance at him, that second I looked away, I lost track of the shadow creature. I had been distracted, had tried to warn him away. Too late, I saw his eyes widen and snap to my right, and he started to shout. Too late, I started to turn. The last thing I saw was the darkness solidifying, rearing back slightly before it struck...

* * *

I came to, with Link's body heavy over mine, half-sprawled where he'd fallen. I stared, as the sparks that had been swimming in my vision began to fade. He was hunched over me in order to protect me, and from the looks of it, hadn't avoided the worst of the spirit's malice.

I didn't - couldn't move immediately: my body was throbbing with pain, my head still spinning. Link was looking at me, a small grin on his face, even though it was pained - there was a bruise darkening on his temple. He couldn't hide all of the concern for me, much as he tried to behind a small grin;

"...Looks like it's my turn this time, isn't it?"

* * *

_ The answer didn't register immediately, caught up within the increasing numbness. Time seemed to drag on with a painful slowness, but a little part of me still was aware that each second I was growing closer and closer towards..._

_ /Towards what..?/_

_ The touch was still there, waiting._

_ And I realized distantly what it was doing. It was waiting, to be admitted. And it was my choice whether to give in, take the plunge and let it in..._

_ With my last effort, I let my lips fall open for it, to let it in, to accept it.._

_ ...And air suddenly flooded my mouth._

* * *

The sky was black with clouds, bulging with rain that had yet to be disgorged, the setting sun soaking it with its fading rays.

It was time. Link had helped purify the last shrine. The remaining spies had come in and confirmed his path, and as well as the shrinking distance between the Chosen One and the Temple of Time. The last of Gorons that would fight had arrived, and the Zora were gathering at the River. There was no reply from the Gerudo, but none had been expected to begin with: we had the feeling that they had sold out to the Dark King.

I made my way through the camp, weaving quickly in and out of the soldier's paths, as they rushed to get themselves and the uneven flow of newcomers ready for the last battle. I drew close to the Princess' quarters, and after swiftly helping a Hylian re-adjust his shield, ducked inside.

She was sitting on the cot, absently biting her nails, when I entered the tent with my clothes. It had been a bad habit, ever since she'd arrived at Kakariko; whenever she was distressed or distracted, she would either pick or bite at her nails - down to the quick, sometimes.

But for once, I didn't stop her.

"Princess?"

She didn't turn immediately, just let her hand drop.

"It's time."

The Princess turned. I could see that her eyes were tired, red with lack of sleep, but devoid of tears. She reached under the cot, and retrieving a bundle from underneath it, rose.

"Sheik, I've wanted to ask you something, ever since last night."

"Anything."

She looked down. "If anything goes wro--" And Her Highness cut my protest off with a wave of her hand, "If anything goes wrong, I'd like you to lead them in my stead. You and Impa will be their only hope left."

I swallowed, and nodded. She held out the bundle - the Northern Sheikah clothes she'd worn all these years. I took them, handing her my own package that I'd brought - one of my older garbs, small enough that it would fit her. I'd understood immediately what she'd planned, and had suggested this as a last protective measure: the Black King had seen her years before, revealed in her wrath, garbed in the Northern Sheikah clothes. She would have a better chance in her mission if we switched this once - if it went according to plan, the Dark One's eyes would be on me leading the rebellion, mistaking me for her, and unaware of her slipping past his nets to meet Link. She hadn't liked the advice at first; she didn't like the fact of making me into the target. However, when I showed no signs of backing down on this, she had caved in, and reluctantly agreed.

I turned away politely as she started to change, my eyes on the canvas wall of the tent, fingers clutching the bundle. It was growing late, evening swallowing the camp, the stars still hidden behind the dying veil.

I didn't like the plan, even though the survivors and freedom fighters poured in with each several hours. It was rushed, with too much risk for such a low chance of success - the plan of the desperate.

...But after all these years, the time had come, and destiny would not wait.

* * *

_ I inhaled on instinct, grasping wildly for the seemingly sudden blast of oxygen. It flowed into my lungs, life seeming to return to my limbs. Greedily, I inhaled again. The world suddenly seemed clearer, and with it, the coldness sharpening once more._

_ Another gasp, and my eyes flew open. I was alone. I was drifting, sinking far below the roiling surface of the Black Sea. The waters were calmer, the shadows almost black as soot around me._

_ And there were bones drifting lazily in the dark waters, a ribcage here, a piece of a spine, hipbones, forearms; many more caught in the niches in the cliffwalls, like an obscene parody of petals and snowfall._

_ Immediately, I started to panic, struggling to get back to the surface. And almost just as soon, the air seemed to vanish from my lungs. I choked. But the more I fought to get to the surface,the more I seemed to sink, the more my chest seemed to constrict and my arms freeze..._

_ And then I realized what had happened earlier. That inadvertently, I had figured out a way past the Mah-Hahruin. And that I had no other choice to try it again, consciously this time, or let the ocean take me to my death._

_ I steeled myself and, forcing myself to relax, deliberately inhaled the dark waters, resisting the automatic urge to cough it back out._

_ Air returned._

* * *

She slipped off into the night, and it was all I could do to resist the urge to follow after her.

The army was sizable - more than I would've expected to arrive. We marched towards the castle, finally stopping on the outskirts of the Ranch. I could see the fires, the thousands of torches carried by the Dark One's armies as they marched out from the Black King's stronghold. And - barely lit by the flames- I could see large, dark and winged shapes gliding towards us, great wings languidly beating at the air every once in a while.

There were thousands of Hylians on the field, some from the original entourage of the Royal Family, others trained within the recent years in secret. There were some Gorons as well, some fitted with spiked collars and knuckles, others with maces. There were few Zora - their kingdom had taken the worst blow, and they had spared only as many as they could. Even from here, I could see several Sheikah arriving from the four directions.

Everyone that could oppose Ganondorf had arrived for this one assault.

I straightened up on the Princess' war-horse, resisting the urge to brush back the foreign face-cover. At my side, hung the Princess' sword - it was a weight I wasn't used to, and it felt wrong. As if I shouldn't be wearing it. That I had no right to wear it.

The wind picked up and with it, the rain began to beat down. Torches hissed and sputtered, but didn't go out. The Gerudo Thief's forces were closer, and from here, I could begin to pick them out - imps, stalfos, Gerudo sand chameleons, phantoms, and many more I didn't recognized. As soon as my form became apparent to those in the forefront, many of the foul beasts began to shriek and point, suddenly speeding up to close the distance between us.

I paled. For every one of us, there had to be at least three more on his side.

* * *

_Each inhale brought more and more life back into me, and I let myself float there, latching onto this chance at survival. But with each moment, I was aware of the growing cold, at the numbness that had temporarily been held back..._

_If I didn't do something soon - regardless of whether I'd found an oxygen source or not - I risked the chance of freezing to death._

* * *

There were no honorable calls to arms - a Gerudo sand chameleon, frothing at the mouth with madness that'd also made it the leader by several yards, had let a javelin fly the moment it was within range. The Goron at my side went down with a groan. The sand chameleon went down shortly with an arrow in its throat.

Instantly, I spurred the horse at the line, riding down the imps. The chest plate on the war-horse easily turned aside the deteriorating spears. Both sides clashed, sparks and blood flying, cries, screams, and inhuman roars and shrieks blending in with each other.

I caught glimpses of a Zora slicing the arm off a phantom with a fin, only to be brought down by a horde of imps from behind, a stalfo being easily pulverized by a Goron, several Sheikah weaving in and out of the mass.

The fighting wore on through the night. I'd been knocked from my horse by a spear that had suddenly appeared from out of the darkness. The stallion had gone down to its knees with a shriek, at the deadly blow to its torso. I tumbled off, and was on my feet immediately, pulled up by another Sheikah. I had a moment to nod my quick thanks before she vanished once more into the thicket of spears and swords. I turned, and catching a glimpse of Impa's hair flashing through the crowd, I fought my way towards her. Arrows were singing through the air, directed at the night flyers. Several had fallen already, the impact shaking the ground.

It was as I made my way towards the Sage of Shadows that everyone heard it. Fff in the distance, there was a sharp boom, the sky flared bright as day for several seconds. I turned with a sinking feeling, to see blue and purple lighting dancing along the faraway spines of the buildings around the castle. There was another rolling boom, and several buildings were fairly glowed with dark energy.

Impa had seen it as well: her face had gone white, as she finally joined me.

"What is it?" I shouted over the clash of metal. "What happened?!"

I almost didn't hear it. I didn't want to hear it.

"She has failed..."

* * *

_I forced myself to look around, to search for any other vents or channels that I could use to get out: I knew that even if I could break the surface, there was no way I could scale the sheer cliffsides. I began to feel along the walls, using the rocks and boulders as guides so I didn't lose myself in the murky water. Every now and then, I had to brush aside bones. No matter how much I kicked, I seemed to be heading downwards, and as I went, the bones got stranger: less and less familiar in species._

_Instinctively, I was searching for Link, hoping to the Triad that he had discovered what I had. I half-expected to find him drowned, lying at the bottom or caught within the Mah-Hahruin's jagged crags._

_It was then, when I'd nearly given up hope of even finding a _sign_ that I caught sight of a familiar green, further below me and sinking into the blackness. Desperately, I pushed off the cliff wall, and began to kick downwards, breathing in and out._

* * *

I shook my head. "She can't fail!" I had to yell just to be heard over the violence around us.

Impa struck down a sand chameleon with a stab to the gut, and whirled back on me. Her face had hardened, mouth pursing. "Believe it: the Dark One's found her out. We must retreat, regroup somehow!"

I barely heard that. Over and over in my mind, I refused to believe it. I couldn't believe that these last years had all been for nothing, that we'd lost our only real chances at victory.

The thought of them both lying dead...

No. They weren't. I couldn't know for sure, until I saw it with my own eyes. I turned away from Impa, ignoring her questioning shouts, and swung myself up onto one of the Gerudo horses that had been stamping about riderless. Impa came running up.

"What are you doing?!" she cried.

I reigned the horse back in, struggling to gain control of it. "I'm leaving!"

"No! Your orders are to stay _here_!" Impa bellowed.

"I'm sorry."

She ignored that, roaring over the din. "You will _not_ turn your back on Hyrule! I order you to stop!"

I managed to regain control of the war-horse, and fixed the other Sheikah with a level stare.

"Her Majesty needs me. And perhaps, my Lady, it's such a strict adherence to our 'agenda' that has always landed our people into so much despair."

Impa's eyes went wide, mouth opening and closing wordlessly. I could see shock register and then fury, at this blatant disregard for orders and our ways. But she said nothing.

"Do what you like, but I won't stay here if there's still a chance to fix this." I said.

There was no answer from her for a second or two, the scowl growing on her face as she looked from me to the fighting around her. And then - with a furious curse - she swung up after me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I spurred the horse through the ranks, and yet, the arrows hastily shot at us going wild.

I could practically feel Impa's glare burning into the back of my head as we thundered away towards the Castle. Behind us, our army rallied under one of the Gorons, and redoubled their efforts.

* * *

_It seemed like hours and hours had passed since I kicked off the wall, and all I was aware of now was the icy numbness in my limbs, of the fact that I was swimming by sheer force of will, that each breath was beginning to burn in my lungs._

_But still I swam downwards, until the darkness of the water finally consumed me to the point that I couldn't' even see my hands. But I still kept swimming downwards, down, blinded, and it seemed as if I had been caught in time, struggling to get somewhere in a place where a second was an eternity, and time slowing down..._

* * *

_I wasn't even aware of ever blacking out..._

Only that suddenly, the void had vanished. Light flooded against my eyes, and the world was a reeling blur. I was lurching up, forcing myself to turn over. I had barely enough time to yank down the face cover, before I retched. Thick water, black as ash, came splattering down. It seemed like liters upon liters spilled out. Perhaps I had nearly that much.

My arms were shaking, as it finally slowed to a stop, and I pushed myself away from it to flop down onto my back. I was breathing hard, and let my eyes fall shut for a few seconds My limbs felt leaden, but no longer numb - feeling was returning to them, each painful tingle and jab a reminder that I was in fact very much alive. The air was almost too hot, after the icy touch of the Mah-Hahruin, and I could feel a trickle of sweat roll down the side of my face. I didn't have the strength yet to brush it off. I just lay there, sucking in gasps of air and letting my body recover.

Several minutes must have passed - ten at least- when I opened my eyes again, and finally looked around. I was lying half in, half out of a large pool: a glance upwards showed hundreds of delicately carved steps leading away from the tiled platform. I was in some sort of a cavern - there were torches lit and held in sconces. A glance upward showed that the cavern's top curved far above me, hundreds of feet up, a natural cathedral dome. And at the very top; barely visible, but I could catch of the shimmer of firelight on water.

I sat up, blinking.

The Black Sea was swirling far above me: somehow, I was looking at the bottom of it. From here, it looked like a vast obsidian ceiling, rippling with a silent life of its own as it stretched far above. Even from where I sat, I could see the churning of the waters, and higher up (to the point that it looked like nothing but a small ball) the light of the sky. Morning was approaching. It looked like the sun was just beginning to burn away a little of the fog.

And I had the disconcerting feeling for a moment, a little sensation of somehow having fallen into the wrong side of the world. That I was seeing something that no mortal was ever intended to even catch a glimpse of.

_ /I wonder what Link would have thought of this..?/_

Link. The reminder sent a chill through me. I pushed myself up quickly, half expecting to see a body in the pool nearby. He had been sinking faster than myself, burdened with more armor...

The pool was mercifully empty. There were tracks, however, all over the fine-grained sand. I thought I recognized one of them - they looked like the soles from Link's boots.

I stood up, to get a better view. From the looks of it and the slide marks, it looked like he had tried to drag me out of the water. It wasn't more than a foot or so up the small bank that the tracks seemed to skid a little, and after a foot or two more, sprint away.

_ /He was chased off?/_

I was beginning to think more and more that this was the case. Link would never abandon me, not without reason. I stooped, touched the ground. There was an odd set of prints that had appeared to have moved down from the tunnels. I let my finger trace the heavy depression in the sand. Three main toes, with a central long taloned one, webbed with two thumb-like appendages. I didn't recognize them from any animal I had ever run into.

I moved, and began to follow the tracks, taking care not to disturb them. Whoever made the tracks, had made them hours ago. They had half-crushed Link's set, and - following him- vanished up the stairs where I lost them finally at the twenty sixth step. The light layer of dust on the steps seemed to fade as it wound up away from the small strip of beach.

But as I turned, I saw a fresh set of tracks, and I frowned. I would have missed them, if I hadn't halted. I grimaced. I recognized these now - they were the same canine-like set from earlier, although smaller in size. They were recent, going down the stairs, and stopping short of touching the sand - I could only guess that the owner of this step had come to stare at me shortly after Link's retreat.

It was then that I caught the faint sound: I cursed myself for not paying attention earlier. It was a soft, even throbbing noise, slightly wet sounding, with the barest tinkle of metal after. Footsteps. It was coming from one of the tunnels, and it was growing louder as it drew closer and closer with each step.

I knew that it certainly wasn't Link. And that until I could find Link, I wasn't going to stick around to find out.

The sound was suddenly very clear and _there,_ and I knew that whatever was making it was very close to catching me out in the open.

Immediately, I sprinted up the rest of the stairs, just as the sound grew loudest, the owner nearing the exit. I darted towards one of the passages away from it. I could hear the creature change courses, having caught a glimpse of me, the foot-slaps against tile and stone suddenly gaining more force, and speed.

I didn't know where I was going, only that the passage way plunged in and out of an unknown light source, as it twisted and turned, in and out of other tunnels. I kept running, determined to lose my pursuer, turning left here, a right, another left, two rights...

I didn't stop to look behind me.

The dull, moist thuds faded as I swiftly turned a corner, and vanished into one of the side corridors. As soon as I passed out of the brightest of the lights, I took the moment to catch my breath. I had come out into a large chamber, with immense vaulting hallways that veered off in different directions. The air here seemed too still, as if it had been trapped here for a millennia. But the torches burned without fading, smokeless, and the air never completely staled.

On every wall - even the ceiling- there were panels, reliefs of thousands and thousands of scenes. At my side, I could see the beginnings of a intricately carved tale, one that looked oddly familiar.

_ /I don't have time for this. I have to get moving, find Link before that thing comes back./_

But despite my better judgment, I leaned in to study the wall closer, unable to keep my curiosity at bay any longer: in one panel, underneath a mosaic of the Triforce, I recognized the eagle-signa of the Royal Family. It was spread over a panel of a boy and a girl in a courtyard, with a fairy hovering nearby. The next panels showed the spiritual stones, each a scene of the boy and fairy engaged in combat with some monstrosity.

Each panel told the story from the Dark Ages. I carefully looked over them, as several of these were new to me: Link had been reluctant to tell me much about himself before arriving at our time. I found myself beginning to speed up as I walked down the hall, my eyes fastened to it. The familiar tale, now at the point where Link arrived at my time, began to unfold; all the way up to Link's collapse on the castle ruins. I slowed down here. Inside, I was hoping to that these panels would show something - anything to say what had happened that day and why.

But it was nothing that I could readily discern. The next panel was surprisingly simple - a single figure was close by, writing and looking on near Link's body, which lay on a mirrored floor. Three shining orbs were also present, descending down.

I sighed; I had guessed as much from what Link had already told me.

The next panel immediately after showed the rebuilding of Kakariko, and the Queen's coronation... and I couldn't help but shiver a little, at seeing how the sculptor had managed to detail it so intricately, down to including a figure of myself watching over her Highness through the crowd, arms folded and head cocked slightly.

The panels from here simplified further, clearly still in progress, although one caught my eye. It was faint, a hesitant, light penciling that showed rain drowning the land. I leaned forward, to get a better look...

I paused, and glanced at all of the surrounding tiles. In every scene, that one small figure had been present, bearing a tablet and stylus. As the panels grew closer to the Dark Ages, the figure began to vanish from the action, going further and further away until it was at a distance, its feature unreadable.

And in each panel, there was always a glyph bearing the mark of the Triad's sun - a circle with five main rays, and intercut with smaller, more delicate beams. There was no doubt any longer as to what this place could be, and yet it was still hard to swallow this. There had been nothing more than rumors in the old texts, small, dark little hints of a lost shrine, buried by a land in agony...

"The Temple of the Sun..." I whispered, hardly able to believe this.

:_Yes:_

The sound was suddenly at my back, and I whirled around. I couldn't help but gawk at the towering form that stood before me. I didn't recognize the species, although there was something distinctively aquatic about it. It stood at least two heads higher than myself on its hind legs, long, muscled arms tensed. There were fins at its head and trailing down its back. Along the bridge of its elegant nose, there was a glittering band of gold jewelry. The creature glared down at me, the swirling eyes seeming to glow with a malevolent fire. At its side was strapped a large broadsword, which it gripped with a webbed hand that seemed all too eager.

:_This is O-ikirith. And you're trespassing on a most sacred place, Sheikah.:_

* * *

:To be continued:

* * *

_Completed:1/23/04_

--Wyna


	9. Faneer

**Faneer**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters: no money is made off this. This story, and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

** Misc: **Sorry for the incredibly long delay. This was a really difficult one to write. Thanks for being so patient!

* * *

**Faneer**

* * *

:_This is O-ikirith. And you're trespassing on a most sacred place, Sheikah.:_

The creature took a step forward, although he made no move to draw his weapon yet. But he seemed to have a look of permanent boredom plastered on his face, one that made me wonder if he would just decide to attack me anyway.

I was faced with a dilemma here. I could run the risk of surrendering - and judging from the look on his face, there was no guarantee that it would honor it - or I could fight. I doubted the flimsy blade from Rydel could hold up against that broadsword. The whip-chain wrapped around my forearm wouldn't do much good either, nor would the small throwing daggers; especially considering his height or at this range...

Slowly, I raised my open hands above my head.

"I didn't mean to intrude," I chose my words carefully - the creature's hand hadn't moved from the sword hilt. "I'd gladly be on my wa--"

_:Who else is with you?:_ The creature demanded.

I thought fast.

"There was no one else," I lied. The swirling eyes narrowed at me.

No one_ can get past the Mah-Hahruin. Not without help.:_

"There was no other," I repeated.

The creature finally dropped his hand from the broadsword - only to grab my arm in a bruising grip. He began to drag me down one of the hallways. Immediately, I tried to dig my feet in, to pull his arm off and stall for time. But his grip was inhumanly strong. I might as well have been trying to pry apart iron bars.

"Where are you taking me?!"

The creature ignored my attempts to break free. _:Until I find out who you are, you'll be going somewhere where you won't be underway.:  
_

I started to go for the daggers instinctively, but the creature was much faster. His free hand shot over, for the briefest second covering my eyes...

And everything seemed to freeze.

* * *

The world unfroze suddenly. I was no longer looking at the blurred walls and hallways of what I had guessed was the outer passages. There was a nauseating rush as the scenery seemed to flash by to catch up, stopping with a jolt in a dimly lit room. I was lying on my back on a ragged cot shoved against the far wall. The room itself was small, carelessly furnished with chairs, tables, furs and expensive looking rugs and tapestries that were faded with age. There were a few torches in the wall-sconces, and I could see that - peeking out from the tapestries - the stone reliefs covered the walls of this room too. The walls and ceilings were punctuated by holes from the cave system; I could feel fairly new air moving in from them. The door was covered with a veil that fluttered weakly.

There was no sign of the creature. I tried to sit up...

...and fell back to the cot almost immediately.

I tried again. Fell back once more.

There was something on my chest, arms, and legs that was preventing me from getting up. I angled my eyes down awkwardly, and blinked. There was nothing there. I tried again, straining... Again, I was met with the same results: no matter how I tried to twist or turn, I couldn't dislodge whatever it was from me.

After several more tries, I gave up. My body was aching from struggling to fight against the Mah-Hahruin and from hitting the rock walls of the ocean, and exhaustion suddenly swept over me.

* * *

I must have dozed off. I woke, just in time to catch the sound of pebbles and dust falling from the holes near the "roof". Some fell on my face, but I couldn't shake it off. There was more rustling, and another layer of shifting dust fell. Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn that there had been flash of dark green from one of the holes in the wall.

"_Link_?"

The rustling paused, and then, after several seconds, continued. I couldn't see anything from the way my head was turned, but the sound was suddenly up above me.

"Sheik? Is that you?"

The breath I'd been holding came out loudly. "Thank the Three, you survived."

"You're alright?" Link - although muffled by the walls - sounded just as relieved.

"More or less. What happened?"

"I tried to get you out of the water, but that-that _thing_ came at me. I managed to get into one of these smaller cave systems running through this place. I think I lost him," he didn't sound so sure. "Look, we have to get out of here before it comes ba--"

"Link, I can't move."

He paused. "What?"

"I can't move."

In the silence, there was a distant wet thudding sound. There was suddenly more dust and pebbles showering down, as Link moved closer. I coughed. Out of the edge of my vision, I caught glimpse of him leaning his head out of one of the holes to look down at me awkwardly.

He didn't say anything for awhile, just stared down, clearly seeing something I wasn't. I could have sworn I heard a faint slap of something wet against stone, from the tunnels outside.

I fidgeted.

"...What is it?"

Link cleared his throat. "Um...you have, uh..." I went still with dread. He stopped, started over again in a rush. "There's-a-bunch-of-monkeys-sitting-on-you."

I tried to look down again, and saw nothing. "_Monkeys_?"

"Yeah, they're not really doing anything. Just sitting there... You're sure you can't see them? I mean, they do sort of stand out. "

This couldn't be good. I was willing to bet that these animals Link was seeing were residents of the Sacred Realm... and anything from that plane was usually best left alone.

"Sheik?" Link sounded worried again, at the long silence. Was that an echo of footsteps I'd heard in the pause?

"Can you get them off me?"

"I don't know. I might hurt yo--"

I froze, hearing it again, now very distinct: there was the resounding echo of the creature's moist footsteps nearby, and approaching the room.

"Link, that thing's coming back. You have to leave me."

The echo was getting louder.

"I'm not leaving you!"

"_You have to,_" I hissed. "Get going!"

The sound was closer now.

"_No."  
_

The footsteps were almost upon us. I swore. His stubbornness was going to get either of us or both killed one day.

"Just go. I'll whistle if it's safe, but don't wait up for me. _Now go!"_

Link cursed and with another rain of dust, vanished from the edge of my vision. Seconds later, the creature ducked into the room, the jewelry on its snout tinkling. The swirling eyes took in the dust that was floating around the room, suspiciously.

_:Who was here?:_

I said nothing, just stared up at the creature. I could only hope that Link had put enough distance between us. With any luck, I could stall and buy him time.

_:I already know who you are. They told me. I don't have the patience for your games.:_

Again, I didn't answer.

_:Get up.:_ With an irritated, watery growl, the creature snapped its webbed fingers at me. The air seemed to give a low croon that made me jump, and I felt the feathery presences vanish off me. I sat up.

_:You might as well be more forthcoming with me. I know all about your little mission.:_

I returned his gaze steadily. "Who are you and who do you serve?

_ : I am Faneer, the Sage of this Temple.:_

"O-Kerth was supposed to have been destroyed long ago. What proof do I have that you're telling the truth?"  
_  
:The proof being that I haven't just killed you and rid myself of you both already. I'm... unable to: _He sounded put-out at that last part.

Sages were unable to kill another being, unless in defense of themselves and their shrines. I had no doubt that if the magical restraint had been lifted, Faneer would not have hesitated to be the first to test that new freedom out. He was telling the truth. As long as we didn't attack Faneer or harm the Temple, there was no threat.

_ :I proved myself. Now where is your companion?:_

Keeping my eyes on him, I gave a a sharp whistle, although I hadn't expected Link to stick around. There was no answer immediately: perhaps he was already far gone by now...

This was dispelled soon after, as I heard the sound of boots echoing against the rock floor. A small part of me couldn't help being torn between annoyance at Link lingering around, despite what I'd asked him earlier...but another part of me was strangely relieved.

Link appeared at the doorway after a minute, panting, looking first at the Sun Sage and then at the me warily. I gave him a small nod, to show that there was no threat here.

But something strange happened: I wouldn't have caught it if I'd not flicked my gaze back to the Sage in time. The perpetual boredom in Faneer's eyes vanished, and an actual look of surprisecrossed his face upon seeing Link, before being replaced by an almost amused smile.

_ :Interesting...:_ He whispered, more to himself than to us.

Link didn't answer him as he joined me. He was tensed, staring at the towering Sage.

"This is Faneer, the Temple of the Sun's Sage," and I looked back to Faneer. "If you've talked with the Three, then you know that we're not enemies. You can let us go."

_ :No, I don't think I will. This place has been hidden for thousands of years from outsiders. I doubt the Three would like to have their Temple broadcast all over the place,_ Faneer said._ :You will remain here until I've found out what the Three have decided_

"And what if we try to leave?" Link asked. "You can't attack us unless provoked."

Faneer shrugged. _:You can't leave through the Gateway, and the other exits can only be opened by myself or my assistant. Try, by all means: getting yourselves burned to a crisp would save me the effort of speaking to the Three again._

Link's eyes met mine. I shook my head slightly at him: _don't_. He scowled.

The Sage moved to push open the ratty curtain from the doorway. _:You both will stay in the rooms my assistant shows you to. You will remain there until I come for you._

We followed him out of the room, where I was startled to find a Hylian child waiting in the hallway for us.

Link suddenly swore and stepped back, staring beyond the girl. I followed his gaze. The little girl's shadow - thrown in sharp relief against the walls by the torches- didn't match. It was not of the child, but of the same multi-tailed fox.

Faneer raised an eyeridge. _:I suppose I should have introduced you. This is O-ikirith's Standmaiden._

The girl said nothing, only gave a meek curtsy. Neither of us returned the gesture.

"Faneer, she's one of _them_..." Link started.

One of..._'? Ah, yes, you had a bit of a run-in with the Guardian at the Gateway: _Faneer seemed to find this mildly amusing.

"The Guardian?" I had backed closer to Link, away from the girl.

_ :Her older brother, to be precise,_ the Sage answered. _ :They're Keatons. Quite loyal, but they have this funny little quirk: they tell the truth... but never the whole truth,_ and he turned to the 'girl'. _:Show them to their rooms. Make sure they don't wander about while I'm gone._

With that, he stalked off, dissappearing around a corner, leaving us with the Standmaiden. I remained near Link, half-expecting her to suddenly vanish, replaced by the same fox creature, ready to pounce, fangs bared and frothing hungrily. But she only motioned for us to come with her.

Link gave me a quick squeeze on the shoulder before moving forward to follow her. She took us down a different corridor and stopped between two rooms - one with a wooden door, the other missing one, with nothing but a rug blocking the entrance. She pointed to both, and pushed open the heavy door. It was larger than the room I'd be kept in earlier, although it was furnished in nearly the same way. I wrinkled my nose. There was the same stale smell here, of stifled air and old cloth.

The girl waved a small arm toward the fresh linens and basins and soaps on a dresser, then at us. Link stared.

The Standmaiden repeated the motion, mouth moving silently. I realized then what was wrong.

_ /She's mute./  
_

_ /The Mah-Hahruin stole her freedom and her voice.../_

I couldn't help but feel pity towards the creature. She had stumbled into a position she'd never asked for, and along with her brother, was bound to it, in an exchange for her life being spared.

The Standmaiden was watching me, repeating the motion expectantly.

"She's saying that we can use these to clean off, right?" I glanced back at the Keaton girl. She nodded, curtsied again, and was suddenly _gone._ Link's face had gone from disconcerted to flat-out apprehensive at that.

I was very aware of how stiff our movements were. My body - my back and face especially - throbbed with a dull but constant pain. As Link stepped past me, into the room, I could see that he was moving just as gingerly: the Standmaiden had somehow known to prepare ahead of time. I didn't linger too long on this fact - this entire Temple gave me the chills, and I wasn't willing to get myself too involved.

"Are you sure we should be staying here?" Link asked.

I crossed the room and picked up linens and, carefully, the basin. Steam was rising from the water surface. I turned around slowly. Link was sitting down on the floor, with a muffled "ow!", gingerly peeling off the gauntlets from his arm..

"I don't think we have a choice," I drew near. "Would you mind if I...?"

He shook his head. I sat down behind Link, setting the basin near my knee. He pulled off the tunic and undershirt first, leaving them in a heap on the floor.

His back was covered in ugly bruises: nasty purples and blues that were very quickly darkening. I grimaced in sympathy. But despite this, I was surprised to find that - other than the bruises - there wasn't a single scratch on him.

I dipped the sponge into the soapy basin. The water was hot, but judging from the bruising, it was definitely going to hurt regardless. The best I could do was give him some warning:

"You may want to sleep on your side or stomach," I murmured.

"Point taken."

I gently dabbed the sponge onto the smallest bruise, trying to keep the first pressure light. He hissed. I could see his fists clench for a second.

"How did you survive the Black Sea?" I asked, partly to distract him.

Link forced his shoulders to relax, managing to flash me a lopsided grin. "I sank."

I rolled my eyes.

"Faster than you, anyway. All that armor.." and he waved at the sword and shield and gauntlets left casually near the door. "...weighed me down a lot. You know, all that armor you've always been trying to make me get rid of."

"You give yourself away a lot with all the sound it makes," I pointed out, unable to keep the defensiveness out of my voice. Link only laughed at me, then gave a tiny yelp when I pressed against an especially tender area near his ribs. I concentrated more on keeping the pressure lighter. The water was cooling a little, to a more bearable temperature for him.

Link sobered. "But I really did sink. I got tossed around a little, but my gear dragged me down past the worst of it," His mouth pursed, uncomfortably: clearly he didn't like having to recall this. "It was cold, and strangling, and then darkness..."

He had made no mention of that something - the phantom lips or breathing the ocean in- that had helped me to avoid drowning. He'd had to have survived some other way than I had. I didn't want to ask any further. I thought about the mute girl serving the Sage of the Sun, bound to the position until he no longer required her services. A little uneasy feeling settled into the pit of my stomach: what if I'd just condemned myself to the very same?

_/Faneer would have said something if I had. He wouldn't have bothered finding out about me from the Goddesses if I'd been bound to him already./  
_  
But I still couldn't shake the crawling sensation, regardless.

"That's all I remember," Link said apologetically.

I didn't answer, just made to stand. Link cut the motion off, hesitantly.

"Are you sure you don't want me to look at that?"

He was looking at my back. I'd completely forgotten about it. I sat down again -so that my back was facing Link-and stiffly pulled up the top - enough that he could work on my back without completely pulling it off. I leaned forward, trying not to think of how days ago, he'd watched me in the cave with that unreadable expression...

Link didn't say anything at first as I exposed my torso. I winced.

"Is it that bad?"

I felt his calloused fingers touch my back, almost shyly. "No...just a lot of scratches." And then there was a brief twinge from my back. He held out his hand over my shoulder, so I could see: a tiny pebble that was slightly bloody. "And some rocks stuck in there."

I was suddenly very glad that I couldn't see it. I'd had much worse, but I couldn't help but feel embarrassed that Link, of all people, had to see all the scars and scratches I'd accumulated from both the Black Sea and the Dark Years. I had never thought twice of them before, but now all I could think of was how marred every inch of me was.

"I'd forgotten how battered these kind of journeys leave you," I muttered. Awkwardly, I leaned forward a little more, to give him easier access.

Link laughed, and flicked the pebble into a corner. His hands returned with a little more confidence and he set to cleaning the scratches.

Twenty or so minutes had passed as Link worked and I had drifted off, staring into space: other than to make sure to sit still, there wasn't much to do. I didn't notice immediately that Link's hands had slowed down, lingering on my shoulders and my upper arms almost absentmindedly. He had finished with his ministrations, but he hadn't moved his hands, or made any move to get up. I started to turn my head back a little, to look at him questioningly.

He didn't meet my eyes, his own gaze focused on my back.

"That one was from that thing from Kakariko's well, isn't it?" I could feel him tracing a star-shaped scar on my shoulder.

I nodded, suddenly all too aware of how close he had scooted before. I could feel his warmth against my back, and the strength in his hands, his fingers sliding against the muscles in my back...

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

"Which one?"

I felt his fingers lightly touch between my ribs and left shoulder blade. It took all my effort not to lean back into his touch. "This wound. How'd you get it?"

"Stabbed from behind," and at this, he made a questioning sound. "Sand chameleons have very poor vision, so its aim was off," I clarified. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Link give a little nod. He didn't say anything for a little while, and then;

"This one?" He was tracing a long path from my right shoulder blade - and my breath nearly stuttered to a stop - down to my lower back.

_ /Just concentrate. Take a deep breath. That's the whip welt./_

"Ambushed while scouting," I didn't clarify any further; Link was the very last person that I wanted to know the full details of that one.

Mercifully, he didn't press the issue. It seemed like an eternity that we sat there, and another one when Link let his hands drop, and scooted back. I could feel his eyes still on me as I stood up, pulling my top back down. I could hear the rustle of cloth, as he rose as well, pulling the undershirt and tunic back on.

As if realizing that he'd crossed several boundaries already, he abruptly changed the subject.

"...So are you ready to tell me what's with all this secrecy with you?" He wasn't looking at me anymore.

I sighed.

I had no more excuses. We were halted here, for who knew how long - there was no excuse of a need for urgency, and I was more than willing to bet this Sage already knew perfectly well who I was and who I worked for. It was exceedingly hard to deceive a Sage. With one as unstable as Faneer, it was a risk I wasn't willing to attempt.

I set the things down on the cabinet. I had been dreading having this talk.

"I couldn't tell you earlier - at least not while we were still within the Hylian borders," There was no easy way to put this, so I surged on. "There are things I've done in the service of Her Majesty that makes me... less than welcome in some areas."

"I don't understand."

"I have a reputation as being an enforcer of her rule," I said. "A spy for her Majesty."

"So everyone else thinks you're an enemy. That's why you keep using different names: your own isn't safe."

I nodded wordlessly, and turned around. I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to to leave me right then.

Link shook his head slowly, and began gathering his things. "You could have told me this earlier."

"Could I? How can you still trust me, when Her own subjects don't?"

"I know you better than these people," Link pulled the door open, bag slung over a shoulder, his gear under an arm. He turned to give me a last glance. "I trusted you back then. There's no reason not to still."

With that, he let himself out. I watched the door swing heavily shut. Link hadn't quite understood exactly what I'd told him. He didn't understand how things were back home.

I sighed again. He would find out for himself sooner or later, provided we survived this journey.

* * *

As we both found out, the Standmaiden had the unnerving ability to appear seemingly out of nowhere when she sensed she might be needed, and to vanish without a trace. We would find things missing, replaced with something else, or repaired the minute we had turned our backs on them. I had left the main bedroom to wash off completely and check the bruise on my cheek. I'd come back to find that my clothes had been repaired, lying folded neatly on the bed, with a new pack and the blades and whipchain lying next to them, also cleaned and honed.

I almost wished she hadn't: I wasn't terribly fond of the thought of someone tampering with my things. But I let it go - the girl didn't seem to have damaged anything. The strange torches that lit the room were growing dimmer and dimmer - I wouldn't be surprised to find that they'd been made to reflect the rising and setting sun. Night was approaching.

The bed wasn't much, but it was the first in weeks. I was asleep within seconds of lying down.

* * *

I suddenly snapped awake at a loud _creak_, to find a dark shape looming over me. I lurched up on instinct... and nearly succeeded in braining both myself and Link. There was a loud thud as he hit the floor.

"Link, what are you doing in here?" I whispered. I was too startled to even linger on the fact that he had been practically sitting on my bed.

He gave an uncomfortable cough from where he'd landed and I saw the dark shape of his head look away. "I can't sleep in that room. I keep seeing flashes of that, _you know_, prowling by the doorway every several minutes."

"The Standmaiden?"

He nodded, sheepishly. "I guess it's her job to watch over this place but it's creeping me out..." and then, hopefully; "You don't want to switch rooms?"

I looked at the solid wood door, suddenly very glad that it was there. The thought of getting glimpses of the Keaton girl lurking around in the dark halls made my insides squirm. "No, but you can stay here if it's that bad. I don't think I'd like it very much either."

"Thanks."

"It's nothing," and I rose, grabbing a blanket. "Take the bed."

Link sounded startled. "What? I can sleep on the floor-"

"No one's sleeping on the floor," I said firmly. "I can take the chair."

I ignored Link's protests, and settled myself as best as I could into the armchair. I didn't have to see his face to tell that he wasn't entirely happy about the sleeping arrangements. I heard him climb into the bed and pull up the leftover blankets. For several long minutes, neither of us said anything. I listened to us breathing, staring at the line of light coming from underneath the door frame:

"Link."

"Yeah?"

I hesitated: It wasn't for me to question his decision, but...

"Do you really plan on going back to your own time?" My voice was quiet.

Silence.

"I don't know," he finally said.

After that, neither of us had spoken again. I listened as his breathing evened out and softened as he fell asleep. I kept myself awake, keeping an eye on the door, and for any signs of motion outside. The Keaton child had passed by several times already, although she didn't touch the door. There was no sign of Faneer throughout the night.

I glanced at Link once more. The Dark Times had allowed us all to fight side by side, with a common purpose and a common, known enemy. We made our sacrifices and focused on the present, on defeating the Black King: there wasn't really any time to focus on our own needs. But now...

I shook my head slightly, and shifted, so I could keep watch on the entrance.

_ /Things were so much simpler back then.../_

* * *

I had been so exhausted that I didn't catch the door creaking again. I woke to Link giving my shoulder a rough shake, his eyes on the entrance. I groggily looked up, just in time to see Faneer ducking in under the doorway. The Standmaiden was at his back, watching us curiously.

_I have just finished speaking with the Three. They have ordained that you may receive help for your little quest from this Temple's resources:_ Faneer heaved an impatient, long suffering sigh.

A rush of relief flooded through me. Perhaps we could finally find out what we were dealing with in the east, something more concrete. I glanced at Link, who only shrugged cautiously. O-Kerth's Sage rolled his eyes.

_Well, come with me then.:_

* * *

Faneer, his steps shadowed after by the Keaton girl, took us down several of the twisting sand-stone passage ways. At my side, Link was trying to read each one's story quickly as we passed.

We came out of the passage ways into an even larger cavern then: apparently, the first section had only acted as a guardhouse and walls to the Sun Temple itself. Housed within it, and sprawling even further back into the darkness, was the towering main building - far larger than the Spirit Shrine in the Gerudo Desert. The roof spires were made of gold and shaped like sun rays that pointed towards the rock roof, and the sky, hidden far above. A flight of marble steps led from the sand floor up to the main doors. Every inch of it was carved with figures, the columns holding up the ceiling shaped into graceful, androgynous dancers: the craftsmanship was neither Sheikah nor Hylian, nor any other race I knew of..

Faneer wasted no time in letting us stop here. He strode forward, his long legs allowing him to cross the grounds much more quickly. The Standmaiden matched his pace easily. Link and I broke out into a trot. The Temple's guardian led us up the stairs, and after several more twists and turns, he pushed open a heavy set of plain granite doors. They fell back, gratingly, to show a room shrouded in darkness..

We followed Faneer inside. There was the soft sound of bells in the distance, and light began to slowly fill the room from torches that had re-lit themselves.

We both gawked at the sight. Even Link - the only one of us who had seen the insides of the corrupted temples back home - looked impressed. We had come out into one of the largest "rooms" I'd ever seen in my entire life. The area we had entered looked to be at least the size of Kakariko, with several more areas off shooting from it. There were rows upon rows of books - of all sizes - in the walls, stretching off into the distance. The ceiling above was made of stained-glass, placed against the natural rock ceiling. Even the stained-glass told stories, continuing from where the stone walls outside left off. The many torches reflected off the minerals in the rock: the stained glass fairly glowed and sparkled with it, and the figures frozen within almost seemed to dance.

"What is this place?" Link finally managed to ask.

_ :The Library of the Gods. The Three have told me that you are to be allowed access to the main section only, in order that you may seek for your answer. Do not try to enter the other sections.: _And Faneer waved a webbed hand towards the cavernous room. An unpleasant grin went across his face, for the briefest second._ :I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for...eventually.:_

And he turned and left. I looked at Link helplessly. There were at least over several million books here - most likely far more, considering how far back the main room stretched.

I could tell that I wasn't the only one feeling at a loss: Link had a decidedly pained look on his face.

"Link, I'll understand if you don't want to wait. We're stuck here because of my mission, but if you want to go on or go back..." I started.

He shook his head. "No, I'll stay. It's just..."

Link trailed off, just motioning at the massive Library. Even though we were here with the Goddess' blessings, it was no less daunting. Going up against a squad of Stalfos was looking far more preferable at the moment...

I was the first to enter the room, glancing back at Link.

"We'll take it slowly."

* * *

We spent the next few hours scouring the library, searching for any references or mentions of prophecies or dark creatures to the east of main Hyrule. O-Kerth's library had a strange cataloguing system. Things were ranked not only by date, but sometimes by country, other times by how major the event was: a book on the Hylian's first Royal Family could be in that date-range's shelves...or it could be hidden elsewhere in the library's section for Hyrule. The cataloguing system was only one of the many things that slowed us down. The Standmaiden was another. She would appear and clear books we'd tossed aside as useless, and replace them on the shelves: several times, I'd come up with those books.

Locking the Library doors didn't seem to deter her either, nor did telling her to leave them whenever either of us caught her.

Hour after hour crawled by; the Standmaiden appeared once with food, but it went ignored for the most part. We had barely made a dent in the library. I'd only found books so far on prophecies made by commoners, or prophecies from long ago that had been either fulfilled or later revealed as hoaxes: the closest I'd ever gotten was a set of scrolls devoted to the Queen's prophecy on the Dark One's attack long ago. But there was nothing else so far.

Across from me, Link had sprawled on a chair, a large tome settled across his lap, chewing idly on a piece of bread.

I knew that we should be pressing on. That we had to. But neither Link nor I seemed to be in as much of a hurry. A small, selfish part of me - the rebellious portion that couldn't be completely tamed by any notions of duty or honor, no matter how I tried - knew that the longer we took, the more it would delay Link's return to his rightful time.

And oddly enough, it seemed that Link wasn't in much of a hurry either...

* * *

Much of our time was spent in the library after that. I left only to eat or sleep, Link would leave to stretch his legs every now and then. Day after day began to crawl past, and there was still nothing of use. After a week, I was growing frustrated, and I couldn't keep Link from noticing. His jokes had faded to a stop after the first few days, as the enormity of our task set in.

Yet, leaving this place now would be foolish - it was the only one so far that offered some answers to the nature of this prophecy (perhaps even a way to stop it), and I wasn't about to turn that down.

I was out of my league here. I knew how to infiltrate an enemy encampment and leave without a trace. I knew at least fifty different ways to neutralize an opponent, without a weapon. Triple that number if I was armed. Kill and spy. These were things I had always grown up with. Things I was familiar with.

Tearing apart a seemingly endless library was not one of them.

It was Link who took me by surprise one morning, when he first proposed a possible solution. The day had started the same: both of us vanishing into seperate library wings. I had returned to the table first, and spread the leaves out in front of me. He had followed soon after, dropping a sizeable pile of books on the table, although he didn't take his place in the chair. Instead, he placed his hands flat on the table. A thoughtful look crossing his face as he looked at me.

"...Do you think there's any way we could contact Impa or anyone?" he suddenly asked. "I mean, there's got to be some way to talk to the outside world here."

I paused. I hadn't thought to try and get advice other than what we were working off of. But I immediately spotted a flaw in the suggestion.

"Sages can only be contacted within their own shrines...or if they appear to you on their own will."

Link's face fell.

_ /But the Queen.../_

_/She was a special class of Sage. Maybe.../  
_  
I continued slowly, "But perhaps - if O-kerth has any forms of communication to the outside- I could possibly contact Her Highness."

The more I thought over it, the better an idea it sounded. The temples, the direct connections to the Triad, all the prophecies had always been her realm. She would have to know something about this.

If we didn't find anything within the next day, I would try Faneer first.

I could only hope that the latter wouldn't be necessary.

* * *

Unfortunately, we had not found anything useful when my mental deadline rolled around. I wasn't going to be spared the unpleasant business of going to see the Sage.

Link had offered to go, but I declined the offer almost instantly. I didn't know if he could handle any of the side-stepping that was going to be required. The Sage would not just give up any information we wanted just because we asked nicely.

It took me several tries before I found Faneer's study. I hesitated in the open doorway. The room was almost blindingly white: the walls were made of marble and at even intervals, ivory pillars spiraling upwards toward a ceiling that seemed covered in the glows. Stacks and stacks of parchment were scattered all over the room. In the corner, next to a fountain, Faneer was seated at a strange desk, his face buried in the current scroll.

"May I come in?"

I saw his eyes flick up over the paper edge at me, then back down.

_:If you must:_ he grumbled.

Taking care not to disturb anything, I entered the chamber. Aside from the desk and the chair, there was no other standing furniture. I ended up seating myself on the fountain edge.

We sat in silence, save for the constant scratch of the Sage's pen against the paper. The water trickling and splashing was all that echoed throughout the room. I couldn't rush this. I had to form a plan - some subtle way to find out any way of contacting the outside world within the Temple, and without the Sage knowing what I was up to--

The Sage suddenly broke the silence.

_ :'O-kerth'. Is that what they're calling my temple now?: _Faneer had a grimace on his face, as if he'd swallowed something foul.

"Our language has changed a lot since...since your time. '_O-ikirith_' has been obsolete for several hundred years at least."

_ :I liked 'O-Ikirith' better. : _ The Sage said peevishly into the pages. _:'O-kerth' sounds like something a mere _peasant _would say.:_

I shut my mouth, barely catching myself before I rose to that bait. With a grumble, Faneer bent down to add another line to the current tome. I remained where I was - I mentally had given myself a few more minutes off my feet, before I'd go back to continue searching the Library. I watched him for a seconds, silently. Something had been bothering me, ever since finding this place and a surviving Sage in it. The Sun Shrine had thought to have been lost permanently - that there had been no Sun Sage after the first had vanished. But this discovery had proved differently. I had to know;

"...Can I ask you something?"

Faneer didn't look up. _:What is it?:_

"You've been a Sage for a thousand years-"

_:It's ten-thousand so far. Give or take a hundred.:_ He grunted.

"And yet, you were never there to help when the Dark On-- Ganondorf came."

His hand continued to move line by line on the page, pausing every now and then to dip the quill pen into a jar of silver-black ink. I took the silence as an affirmative.

"Why weren't you there?" I asked. "The other Sages were there - your presence would have helped. You could have saved lives."

_ :My role as the Sage of the Sun is to record, not to influence. It was not my business to interfere when it wasn't required of me. :_

My jaw dropped. "'_Not your business_'? '_Not required'_?! People died needlessly!"

Faneer turned to the next blank page, after blowing the ink dry. _:People die all the time. At least Ganondorf's reign was something of a change for once. Made things interesting.:_

I had shot to my feet, fists clenched, trembling with anger.

"You can't be serious," I gritted out.

_ : A massacre or two makes for a change of pace. :_

Fury flooded through me. Friends, innocents had died at the Black King's hands, and here the Sage of the Sun was flippantly brushing it off, as if it was nothing more than an interesting but all too brief occurence to ease his boredom.

"You don't even know what you're talking about. You're sitting safe in here, but I doubt you've ever had to fight for your life." My voice was barely controlled. I wanted nothing more than to wipe that look from Faneer's face. "You're sick for taking any kind of joy out of it."

The quill came slamming down, spraying ink on the table. Faneer had stood up abruptly, nearly upending the marble table in the process.

_:You want to know what's _sick he snarled._This immortality They've given me! Everyone lusts for it, but I would kill to be rid of it! Can you _imagine_ what it's like, when years aren't an eye blink? How I have to record, every hour of every day, of every year, everything that happens in this miserable world! Each day is an eternity, and I can't leave my post. All for "immortality". _That's _what's sick. Not a few deaths, not even a hundred. Time goes on, and I'll still be here recording everything in here. I have all the time in the world, but I can't use it for myself ever. I am sick and I am tired of recording!_

I got to my feet as well, collecting my things. "What do you want, my sympathy?" I asked coolly. "You volunteered for it and now you want to back out of it because it isn't going your way? That's not sick, it's just pathetic."

The Sage stared back. And then, angrily:

_:Get out._

I was already closing the door after me, disgusted.

* * *

I made my way back to the library, unable to keep the glower from my face; I had lost control and - whether he knew it or not - had lost any chance of possibly getting him to cooperate. Regardless of how I felt towards the Sage, I knew I had been out of line. That I might just have played into his hand.

But it was too late to salvage this... at least, in regards to trying to get Faneer's aid. Asking the Sage for help was not only foolish now, but out of the question. If I was going to follow through with the plan, I'd have to find another guide.

And yet, all I could think about was Faneer's words. The anger and revulsion from before threatened to spill over. The creature was selfish, embittered, and I couldn't help but wonder at how the Triad could have allowed one such as him to become O-kerth's Sage.

I took a deep breath. Counted to ten when that didn't work in stilling the shivers of rage going through me. I couldn't work efficiently if I was running on pure emotion. It was one of the first things Impa had taught me.

I added another ten for good measure.

There was still one other that I could try, but I had to find her quickly...

* * *

I found Link loitering outside the Library's doors, and for all the world trying to look like he was doing something other than waiting impatiently for me.

"How'd it go?"

"Not well. There were some...complications with Faneer."

"Are you going to try and contact the palace still?" he whispered, after looking around for any sign of the O-kerth's Sage..

I nodded.

He grinned. "Do me a favor then. If you do get through to her somehow, don't tell Zelda about me yet. I want it to be a surprise."

I only raised any eyebrow at that, wondering whether that was such a good idea in the first place. This wasn't the same Zelda that he'd dealt with before...

...But then again, Link seemed to bring out the good in almost everyone, so perhaps it couldn't hurt. A small, hopeful little part of me reasoned that Link could possibly help Zelda back to the way she was. To succeed where I had failed.

"Alright, I won't."

* * *

Tracking the Standmaiden down proved far harder than I would have expected. Before, she always seemed to be underway, bringing food, interfering with our search, prowling the hallways at night...but now, she was nowhere to be found. I searched the main building, the courtyard, the Library, even out the outer guard buildings and the Gateway's steps. I had nearly given up on the idea of contacting Her Majesty an hour later...

It was then that she suddenly appeared at my side, head cocked. By now, her sudden appearances were no longer as startling.

"Are there any places in here that can contact the outside world?" I asked.

The Keaton girl nodded.

"Can you take me to it?"

Another nod, and she beckoned for me to follow.

The Standmaiden led me past Faneer's study, and after several more confusing twists and turns, down a long set of stairs.The flight ended in a small, dark chamber that was nearly barren, with the exception of of faint purple glows spread evenly in the walls, and a shallow pool that covered the floor.

The Standmaiden's mouth worked silently, as she mimed picking something up and dropping it in the pool.

"You want me to drop one of those?" I gestured towards the wall-lights.

She shook her head wildly and motioned towards my head, her head, and made a pulling out motion.

I was no less confused than before. "I have to use a hair?"

Another headshake. She pointed to me, herself, and made the same motion several more times before it dawned on me.

"I have to use something of theirs to contact them?"

A sharp nod. She then mimed the dropping motion again and knelt, bending close to the water with her face. A finger went from her face into the water. I understood that well enough.

"Thank you."

She gave a small bow and turned, quickly disappearing up the stairs. I turned back to the pool. The only thing I had of Her Majesty's was a small pendant of Her Family's crest hanging around my neck: a gift from long ago. I carefully drew it out from under the facecloth and over my head. At the very worst, I could only hope that I could at least reach the palace guards... and not end up frightening the pendant's maker out of their wits.

Steeling myself, I let the crest slide from my fingers. With a soft splash, it vanished, swallowed by the black water. There was a flash. The pool suddenly began to glow and throb faintly. I winced and glanced back at the staircase, half-expecting to see O-Kerth's Sage come thundering down. Several long seconds passed, and there was no rapid slap of his feet coming down the stairs. I finally turned back to the glowing pool at my knees. The dark water had turned into a milky, shimmering white with each stronger pulse.

Taking a breath, I pushed my face into the water's surface.

I was flying, over trees and plains, towns, cliffs, all a blur as I left O-Kerth. I hurtled up out of the Mah-Hahruin, past the craggy plains that Link and I had doggedly trudged through, through Rydel, the forest, the Marshes... the Castle and the main doors zipped by before I slammed to a halt.

I looked around. I was in her private chambers. The scented candles were not lit: save for two silver lamps, the room was dimmer than usual. I caught sight of the mirror, and I seemed to float closer to it the moment I thought to take a step. I looked ghostly in the silver light, as if I were made out of nothing more than clear droplets of water.

The Queen entered then, the door closing behind her, the crown on her head glittering faintly. I turned. She froze as soon as she caught sight of me.

I willed my misty form to bow.

"I apologize for the intrusion, your Highness," My voice came out faint, and watery. "Are you safe?"

She nodded. I didn't let myself get too relieved: it only meant that there were no attacks...yet.

Her Majesty seated herself on a nearby bench. "What have you found so far?"

"I've stumbled upon the Temple of the Sun."

"The Temple of the Sun? It really exists?" The coldness, the cares on her shoulders seemed to lessen, temporarily pushed down by honest curiosity

"Yes. The Three have allowed me access to its libraries."

"I wish I could see it..." she murmured, wistfully. For a moment, it seemed like the old Zelda had returned - the one who had none of the pressures of the kingdom on her yet, the one who delighted in reading and exploring as much as she could, the one who always used to get annoyed at me trailing after her all the time as children, the one who laughed freely and often... the one who didn't wear that veil over her face between herself and everyone else.

I told her then about the Mah-Hahruin and its topworld guardian, about how I'd survived, about the Sage here below and the immense Library. I made no mention of Link or the marauders in Rydel bearing the Royal Crest. She listened silently, the veil fluttering softly with each breath. Her head was cocked slightly, listening intently. The desire to learn had, for the time being, replaced the fear and coldness.

"There is something off," Her voice was soft, puzzled. "This Black Sea sounds similar to the barriers we have on the shrines here. Did someone help you through it?"

I thought back to the freezing bite of the dark waters, about the ghostly touch, about how I'd opened my eyes to see myself alone among the floating bones. "I don't know."

"Be careful of this Sage then. Do not take anything he seems to offer freely."

There was a small silence.

"I'm hoping that I can find anything out about this evil you've sensed, Your Highness, but it's taking far longer than I would have thought. I was wondering if you had any ideas of where to look," I continued. As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized it was the wrong thing to say.

But it was too late. The moment was gone. The young woman I'd known years before was swallowed up once more. She focused on me with that cool stare.

"You must hurry. It's growing stronger with each day: we can sense it." She took a deep, shaky breath, before the panic could rise again. "It _must _be stopped before it's too late."

"I promised you that I would see your will out, Your Highness. It will be stopped."

"And we will hold you to that," She had gone quiet. When she finally spoke again, her voice was carefully controlled, free of any sign of trembling. "This Library is an archive of the Hylian continent's history, possibly the world's. The information is there, but it will be buried amongst everything else: I can't tell you where they would be...but it would take a lifetime to find it if this Sage refuses to help.You must consider alternative methods to getting this information more quickly."

I bowed low again.

The veil shifted to look away from me, her gaze distantly towards a window. Her fingers were tightening in her lap. "I don't care what you have to do to stop the prophecy. Do whatever it takes."

* * *

I straightened up from the pool, surprised to find that my body ached. The torches were brighter than before: several hours must have passed. I sat back on my knees.

I had nearly lost sight of my duties. I was spending too much time worrying about Link and not enough time focusing on the Queen's command. The meeting with Her Highness was a necessary reminder of where my priorities should lie. I had a duty to Hyrule and the Queen first, not to myself nor to Link. It would do well for me not to forget it again.

I got to my feet. I was tired - I'd planned to return to our room after this - but I headed back for the Library instead. I had work I needed to be doing.

* * *

I had pulled all the books that we'd put aside earlier and laid them all over the table. There had to be something that we'd missed, or at least I could make sure until Link awoke and we started the next search. I settled into one of the chairs and pulled the books towards me.

I was so immersed in the work that I didn't notice Link coming in and out of the library. I barely saw the food he pushed towards me, and couldn't help but regard it with barely contained annoyance.

Hours passed, and the stack of books I had accumulated was growing. Several times, I had nearly nodded off. It was by will alone that I was keeping myself awake and somewhat alert.

I could feel Link's eyes straying to me increasingly often, before he finally left.

I had managed to slog my way through several more books, coming up with nothing more than a brief mention of a line of seers in the Royal Family's bloodline. This wasn't useful: I knew this already.

I was always aware of the passing of time: days were sliding past. I let myself have a few hours of sleep before I returned to the library. The glows shifted with each hour and each new hour brought nothing useful. I flew through each book, as fast as I could read through them. Desperation spurred me on, but I could tell that I hadn't even made a noticeable dent in the Library.

The current text in front of me was in an ancient dialect called Terminan - a combination of Hylian and Sheikah, from when the two languages had met briefly in our history. It was slow reading. The words were often nearly unintelligible at first glance, and written in an archaic form that was just as hard to decipher.

The silvery-black lines on the page seemed to swim. I blinked.

The words were fading, blurring together into a meaningless jumble. The pages seemed to be burning, the edges blackening rapidly. Fire sprung up. Sparks were exploding as the flames reached each ink stroke. My arms wouldn't move: I could only stare, frozen, as the tome was consumed and the flames leapt serpent-like from book to book. The library was soon all ablaze, and there was nothing I could do to save it.

The walls and pillars, the ceiling, above were crumbling to ash. The last book suddenly exploded in a fountain of fire, and I was plunged into darkness, standing alone. The silence was nearly solid, and I had the sensation of pitch black walls closing in.

The instinctive urge to panic began to bubble up almost immediately. I swallowed it down.

"Link?" My voice sounded muffled.

There was no answer.

"Link!"

There was still no reply. It was then that I felt it; a presence, moving with a liquid grace through the void nearby. I didn't know whether to call out to it or keep silent.

Somehow I could feel it moving away, and in my panic, I blurted out Link's name again. The presence halted...and vanished.

The darkness seemed to grow even closer...

...All I could hear was the sound of my breathing...

...And then, suddenly, the Presence was behind me. Blinding light flooded around us. I had a glimpse of a snowfield and an endless ocean, bloated stormclouds...

There was a sudden flash of searing pain from my lower back, and I looked down, to find a long knife sticking out of my stomach, my blood sliding off the blade, mesmerizingly slow, my life fleeing in little paths and splatters on the snowy beach...

The blade twisted, and my mouth opened in a soundless scream...

* * *

My eyes snapped open and with a gasp, my hand went to my stomach. There was no sticky blood, or torn cloth, or gaping wound. My heart was thundering in my chest; the sharp pain had seemed so real, the metal ice-cold...

Letting my hand drop, I stared at the ceiling, confused. I wasn't in the Library anymore. I was in our shared room, lying in the bed, a blanket thrown over me.

_ /Link must've moved me here./_

I turned my head, and surged to my feet. The wall-glows had shifted, from a faint purple-blue to a fiery orange. I had been out for a few hours. I had wasted too much time.

The few hours of sleep I'd gotten had lessened the headache I'd had, but my eyes still felt heavy, my limbs leaden. Everything seemed slightly distant. The chills from the nightmare were starting to fade, although the memory of it remained strangely vivid. I could feel the blade sliding through me all over again, even as I left the room...

_ /Dreams are just that. _Dreams. _Nothing ever comes from them./_

* * *

I found Link in the hallway outside of the Library, his hand on the door handle. At the sound of my footsteps, he turned, a small frown crossing his face as I drew close. A dissenting look that I knew all too well from the years before.

"Sheik, we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about here," I moved to brush past him.

And found myself halted: he had grabbed my wrist and forced me around to face him.

"Look, you're not eating enough, you're not getting enough sleep - you've been doing it ever since Rydel, and you're even worse in here. You're working yourself to death for Zelda," Link said.

"I'm fine."

"You're not. You're about to fall asleep on your feet right now. You're always here first, and you always leave this damn Library last."

I didn't know what to say, other than to avert my eyes.

"It's my duty. You wouldn't understand."

Link let go of my wrist. "Maybe I don't. But I don't see the point in practically killing yourself over it. You need to think about yourself for once."

"Did you think of yourself during the Black Years?"

"That was different."

"I don't see how much different it is," I said.

Link didn't say anything to that, just opened the door to the library. He paused in the doorway and turned. His mouth opened then closed as if debating something, as he looked at me.

"Yes?" I was in no mood for this anymore.

Link's face pinkened a little, apparently thinking better of whatever he was going to say. He sighed. "Never mind."

* * *

I couldn't bring myself to join Link after that. I couldn't help but be bothered by the fact that I had lost more control over myself these weeks with Link than I had years before.

I found myself wandering the wall's corridors instead, absently trailing a hand over the carved walls. Surge after surge of frustration rolled through me. I wanted to lash out, at something, anything. I was holding up Link, but I had obligations already to the Queen. Nothing I did was bringing us anything useful. Since that meeting with Her Highness days ago, I was no closer to finding anything helpful. I thought constantly of other ways to get what I needed, but none of them seemed like they'd have worked. Threatening and killing Faneer if he didn't help was out of the question. I was not so foolish to think I could overcome him.

I'd tried asking the Standmaiden already, but she had refused. The Sage had guessed that I would have tried her next, and had gotten to her first. I had even attempted to enter the forbidden sections - I had tested the entrances, half-expecting a bluff. A single toss of a crumbled ball of paper towards each of the rooms as a test, only to watch as each one sizzled to a crisp as it passed the thresholds. There was no way past the barriers.

There was nothing I could do. I found myself wishing for Impa's guidance. She would have some idea of where to go from here: she always had, ever since Her Highness and I were children. But there was no reaching her.

I was failing Link, and I was failing Her Highness...

I stumbled suddenly on the edge of a loose tile. Throwing my hand out, I caught myself against the wall, the move resulting in a palm skinned raw from the relief wall. I grimaced at it.

...and halted, looking back at the offending wall.

_ /Alternate methods.../_

Faneer had a definite amphibian look to him. There were no other aquatic species currently: was it possible that he belonged to some ancestor race of the Zora?

The wheels began to turn. There was a way - possibly - to get him to cooperate with me.

I knew the legend well enough. It had been passed on from generation to generation: Impa had told it to Her Highness and I as children. The story went that, long ago, the Zora hero Mikau had been one of the greatest warriors of his era, far surpassing our own. But the Zora race had been threatened, and the Sheikah had come to their aid, even though they were already involved in fighting one of the King's wars with the Gerudo. Mikau had made a blood pledge with the ancient Sheikah after that - he promised that all his race would repay their debt to the Sheikah at least once in their life-time, for the great sacrifice the Sheikah had made on their behalf. The story was dismissed now as pure myth, that there was no debt. Impa had said as much.

But folklore often is rooted in fact and it's only time itself that twists it. The walls of the Sun Shrine would reveal whether there was truth to it or not: everything depicted seemed to be actual events, not mythologies.

I rushed back to O-kerth's outer ring of buildings, and to where I'd found the panels connected to our story. I walked down the corridor again, away from where I'd first regained consciousness from the Black Sea, until I found the recent panels from Rydel.

_ /Where is he...?/_

I bent closer to the panel, let my fingers roam over the sandstone until I found what I was looking for: the shape of the Zora scholar who had tended to me. I straightened up. Panels detailing his story should be connecting to this panel. If I found it, and if I was correct, I would be able to have something to hold over Faneer.  
It didn't take me long to locate Japas' panel sets from there. I backtracked, keeping a careful eye on them. I followed his journey into Rydel and prior. But I wasn't concerned with Japas' story itself. It was his family line that mattered. If it connected back, showing a progression of changes to the race, back to O-Kerth's Sage...

Tracing Japas' family tree took me in and out of the outer-wall passages; I traced them back for nearly an hour until I found myself in a balcony overlooking the Temple's entrance. The Zora in these panels had shifted, becoming less and less like the familiar Zora of my Age, and more and more like Faneer. The panel that caught my attention was one depicting one of the Zora ancestors, standing, with his hand out to a Sheikah, the other presenting a sword. Standing next to Mikau was a simple carving of Faneer, stylus in hand.

My hunch was right. Faneer was from an ancestor race of the modern Zora, and right around Mikau's timeline. The debt was very real.

And he was bound by Mikau's pledge.

* * *

I didn't go back to Link immediately: instead, I left the balcony and headed straight for Faneer's study. We wouldn't have to be stuck here any longer, didn't have to waste more time.

I found the Sage in his study, as always. His face was buried in a new manuscript, scribbling away with a new quill pen. He didn't look up.

_:I thought I told you to get out,_ he said.

I ignored that.

"Are you familiar with Zora heroes?" I asked.

Faneer grunted impatiently, _:Yes, I'm familiar._

"Then you must know of Mikau."

The quill suddenly froze.

"His pledge binds his race to repay the tasks performed for your people by mine, with one of equal value."

_ :I know exactly what that pledge mandates, _I was there.: the Sage snapped.

"Then you know that you're bound to render me one service of equal value to fulfill Mikau's vows, as a member of his race," I finished.

Faneer had been snared, and we both knew it. I could see his eye twitch with irritation.

"I want you to tell me where I can find out about this evil to the east. That's all I ask."

The Sage set the quill down and looked up at me. There was something calculating in those swirling eyes.

_:That's all?_: he asked.

I paused, wondering what else he was expecting. He only stared back at me, face carefully neutral. I hesitated, then nodded.

_:Then consider the pledge now fulfilled from my end:_ and he dipped the quill pen into the inkwell again, and turned back to his writing. _:You'll have to go to the Snowden, where the Sheikah are gathering. There's someone with them who's a servant of Din. This person can tell you what you're facing from the East, and where it is exactly.:_

I blinked. "Why would they be gathering?"

Faneer gave a shrug.

_:I don't know, nor would I care: I only know that they are._: More scritching.

"Do _you_ know where this prophesied harbinger is then?" I pressed on.

Faneer suddenly snorted._ :I don't have to tell you that. Even if I did know, I already fulfilled your request: you wanted to know where you could find out about it, not where it was specifically:_ and he smirked, almost gleefully. _:Perhaps you should have asked the right question.:_

* * *

I left the study, unsure of whether to be frustrated with the Sage, or to be satisfied that I'd at least gotten some definite facts and a direction out of him. But most of all, I couldn't help but feel bothered by Faneer's news that my people were gathering in one place. The Sheikah had always been restricted to living in small, nomadic tribes scattered throughout the land. It had been this way for thousands of years.

This was unheard of.

I had no time to mull this over further. We'd wasted too much time in this temple, and now that I had a definite lead, we couldn't afford to linger any longer. I ducked into the Library, but Link was nowhere to be found in there. I made my way out of the main building, and hurried down the marble steps.

The Standmaiden had apparently gotten word from Faneer immediately after I'd left. I found her standing outside of our room, an expectant look on her face. I slipped past her.

Link was sitting up on the edge of the bed, looking both startled and confused as I hurried in.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"I got some information out of Faneer. We don't need to stay here any longer," I began to pack our things. Link jumped to his feet, and began to do the same.

"What?_ How_?"

I explained quickly

* * *

about the panels and the pledge, and what I'd pried out of Faneer. By the time I'd finished, we'd completed our packing.

"And you're sure he's not lying?" Link pushed the door open.

I stepped out into the hallway. "I don't think he _could _lie about it in these circumstances. The pledge binds him to fulfilling my request, and a lie wouldn't fulfill it." Yet even as I said this, I couldn't help but remember Faneer's words about the Keatons and their half-truths.

Who was to say that he didn't adopt their philosophy?

* * *

Faneer had locked his study door. The Standmaiden led us past it, past the Seeing Pool. She led us through a long corridor with tapestries and veils that hung from the ceiling and fluttered on a breeze that neither of us could feel. She led us through a crystal chamber, through a strange, subterranean garden, down more passage ways and tunnels with walls covered in sandstone reliefs, always leading upward. The carved walls began to meld into rough rock.

We were climbing up a rough slope now. The going was slow, with Link and I using the walls for support: the Keaton seemed to have no problem navigating up the incline. Light was streaming from somewhere further ahead. Several minutes passed, and I had already nearly slipped: Link had thrown out a steadying arm just in time.

The Standmaiden was already at the top waiting for us, one small hand holding back what looked like a curtain of spider-webs. Link was the first to pass through it. I paused, and gave the girl a small bow, which she returned with the very slightest nod.

I could feel the Keaton child's eyes on us as she sealed O-kerth after us, as she let the spider-web curtain fall. I glanced back - solid rock now covered the entrance.

Link was leading the way now, humming an unfamiliar song. His spirits were lifting considerably as we drew further from the cave systems. But a feeling of disquiet had settled over me as I followed him out into the sunlight. Somehow, I had the gut instinct that Faneer hadn't told me everything.

..And there was the unsettling feeling, that there was somethingabout the sandstone panels from Link's past that seemed vitally important.

* * *

** :To be continued:**

* * *

Completed: 2/22/2006

--Wyna


	10. The Kingdom of the Snow Bull

**The Kingdom of the Snow Bull**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters: no money is made off this. This story, and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

* * *

**The Kingdom of the Snow Bull**

* * *

There was a brilliant flash of lightning off in the distance, followed by a thundering _boom_. I cringed.

We had paused next to a strange outcropping of rubble - the walls of a long-abandoned cottage. It was cramped, but I didn't trust us to sleep with our backs exposed, if we could help it.

I had closed my eyes, calmed my breathing so that it was deeper, even, letting Link believe I was asleep. He had watched me intently, determined that I get rest.

I waited until I heard his breathing slowly fall in with mine, before I opened my eyes. He had dozed off next to me.

The clouds in the distance were thankfully moving away from us. There was another crack of electricity against the heavy underbelly of the sky. Another uncontrolled shiver.

I had never liked lightning. I liked thunder even less.

I closed my eyes again, shutting out the dancing lightning, letting my muscles relax. My body was thanking Link for the reprieve. Yet, I wanted nothing more than to at least get a little further from the storm clouds and thunder, but we were effectively grounded to a halt...

* * *

_I was lagging behind. It had been only half a day's journey away from O-kerth when Link planted himself squarely in the middle of the path suddenly. He turned to face me. His jaw was set, as if he were steeling himself to do something potentially unpleasant._

_"We're not going any further right now until you get some more rest," Link said._

_I couldn't help the little hint of ice that crept into my voice.__ "Excuse me?"_

_Link did something then that I had never known him to before;_

_"I said, we're not going any further. You get some rest, or I don't help you out."_

_My jaw dropped. Link had never liked such underhanded tactics as blackmail, and had said as much when I'd resorted to them on others. I had never known him to even think of trying it himself._

_I only gave him a cold stare in response, and he predictably flinched. It would only be a matter of seconds before he would look away, back down, just like the years before. We'd be on our way once mo-_

_Link's shoulders straightened as he visibly collected himself. "No. I'm not going to change my mind on this. It's not going to kill you to stop for a little bit."_

_I was too taken aback by this to protest any further._

* * *

I gave a start as something bumped against my side, and glanced down. Link's head had fallen to rest against my shoulder. I relaxed. There was something reassuring about that weight and warmth there.

Link had been right, whether I liked it or not. My pride had taken a blow, but that was all. Link was showing a practicality that was admirable, if unusual.

I couldn't fault him for it.

* * *

We had come out from the treeline, into what looked like rice paddies and fields. Farmland. After seeing nothing but earth-torn crags, dense forests, and O-kerth's interior after so many weeks, it was a welcome change. The valley stretched on, dipping gently every now and then, until it crashed right up against a massive mountain range in the distance. If my guess was correct, this was the Romani Valley. Other than that, I couldn't be sure: the only reason that I had bothered to remember even this fact was because one of their envoys had come to negotiate trade routes with the Hylian Empire last year. It had been resolved rather easily. I hadn't thought any more of it or the smaller kingdom since.

I was regretting it now.

I looked back at Link. He had been unusually silent since we'd resumed our progress. Long bouts of silence, from others like Impa, sometimes Her Highness, were things I had grown accustomed to. But not so much from the Link.

It was more than a little unnerving.

"Link..." I started.

"I'm sorry." Link blurted out. I blinked.

"For what?"

Now it was his turn to stare. When I didn't elaborate any further, the surprise only shifted into wary confusion.

"For what I did earlier. Threatening you like that." Oh. "It wasn't right of m--"

I cut him off. "_Don't_ apologize for something like that. It needed to be done."

Whatever reaction he had been expecting, clearly this wasn't it.

I didn't know whether to be irritated that he wouldn't stand behind his previous action... or extremely relieved that he'd done this. For some strange moment, it had seemed like Link somehow had changed. The guilty apology - as unmerited as it was - did away with that discomfort. _This_ was a Link I was familiar with, one that hadn't changed after all. One that couldn't feel at ease with using unscrupulous methods, even if necessity validated it.

Link was looking at the ground, confusion still furrowing his eyebrows, although I could now see both dissatisfaction and uneasiness lurking beneath that. He was troubled with the direction this had taken. Perhaps he'd been expecting something to assure him that he should feel guilt, that he should feel shame...and I wasn't giving it to him. It was making him feel worse.

I knew we didn't have time for this. But Link was one of the few that I would make time for.

"Link."

He met my gaze, almost unwillingly.

"In this case, you should do what you feel is right. Sometimes that means not always worrying about the consequences."

A small grin slowly spread over his face, the unhappiness erased, like a cloud lifting. It was an honest expression, a warm one. After so many years, it was a breath of fresh air that Link always brought with him.

The smile stopped whatever else I was going to say: it was relief, happiness...and oddly enough, a kind of realization.

"...Thank you," was all he said.

* * *

We followed the pathway, heading towards the fields. It was slowly progressing into an actual road as it hugged a small cliffside. There was an odd braying noise - somewhat close by- that was accompanied by creaking wood. My attention, however, was on the horizon: I could make out just the faintest bits of white.

A tantalizing glimpse of our destination.

However, I wasn't sure if the road we were on would take us there. I said as much to Link.

"Well, let's just ask the next person we see," he answered. "Someone's got to know."

The road rounded the bend then, and we came upon the source of wood and braying. We were no longer alone. Up ahead, there was a rickety cart laden with bags and barrels, pulled by a strange beast of burden. It was large and covered with dark blue fur, with two large horns on its small head that curled towards each other, nearly connecting into a ring. At the animal's side, was a woman and a man, dressed modestly, also carrying packs on their backs. Farmers.

Link broke into a trot, catching up to them easily.

"Excuse me! Can we ask you something?"

The couple turned, the woman grabbing at the animal's reins.

Part of me was expecting them to look drastically different from our citizens. We were far from the palace, even from the border villages. But - and it was almost disappointing - they weren't. Aside from the different clothes, they could easily have been mistaken for someone from the market place.

The farmer gave Link an open grin.

...which faded as soon as he saw me stroll up behind him. The woman's eyes widened and flicked away, refusing to even look at me. The farmer gave me a scathing glance, before turning solidly to face Link. This didn't go unnoticed by him - he flashed me an unhappy look.

This kind of reaction to my people wasn't particularly new, but perhaps to Link, it was. I just gave him a small shrug, and remained silent.

"How can I help you, stranger?"

"Uh, we were wondering if you knew which road would take us to the Snowden." Link's voice was uncertain.

The woman had inched herself as far from me as she could, behind her husband.

"You're going in the right direction--," the farmer started.

He paused, as his wife suddenly whispered something to him. He gave me another tiny, unreadable glance, as he pointed down the right path. "You want to go down this lane, past Tavaloba to Ambria-Scoud. The road will take you to the Snowden eventually, as long as you stay on it."

* * *

The couple vanished down one of the side roads after that, leaving us alone once more. It was refreshingly quiet. Other than the vague shapes of farmers out in the distance, we met no other travelers. The air was colder here, with a light, crisp breeze rustling against the grass and leaves.

Link and I trudged up the dirt road in easy silence. I found my eyes following after each little motion he made: even each little unconscious movement he made with his hands. Hands that, a few days ago, had been exploring almost every inch of my back. I could feel the phantom sensations - pulled from my memory with surprising clarity- all over again: from one scar, to another, the whip welt down to the hipbone, gentle heat, restrained strength gliding down my back...

I couldn't stop thinking back to it, much as I tried to otherwise. The moment had been dangerously intimate. Did Link know what he was doing?

Either way, I wasn't about to ask. Once or twice, Link nearly caught my eyes on him, but mercifully said nothing of it.

I redoubled my efforts on getting my attention back to where it should be: the mission.

* * *

We had come up on a crossroads. There was a battered sign, with arrows pointing in several directions, one pointing towards a small village a mile off. I moved closer to read the post...

...and slowed, my gaze suddenly drawn past it, to the gnarled oak tree nearby. I stared at it, shock and the following horror stopping me in my tracks.

The mangled corpse of a Sheikah had been brutally nailed to the tree trunk, his clothes torn and stained with dried blood. I could feel a sudden tightness in my chest growing at seeing this, at seeing the way that his fingers had been broken... at the way brand marks had all but destroyed his face, a glimpse of a white globe peering blindly off into space.

The horror turned into an anguished fury that threatened to flood over me, made me suddenly blind to everything else. I started to move towards it, to get the corpse down, to stop this atrocity, to try and give him a proper burial--

I was snapped back to reality, the red static in my vision vanishing, as a hand suddenly jerked me back. Taken off balance, I stumbled back, already twisting to pin Link with an angry glare.

"What're you _doing_?!" I hissed. I tried to break free of his grip, but his fingers only tightened even more, digging into my skin.

"_Don't_."

I stiffened. "I can't just leave him up there."

Link's face had darkened, and he gestured off to the side. "Unless you want to end up like her, you'll just have to."

I glanced over, following the motion, and let out a gasp of breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Nearly hidden in the tall grass was another Sheikah corpse - a female once, of one of the Southern tribes- half-twisted in agony, flies buzzing around her. She'd been impaled several times by a trap from the ground, an arm still stretched out towards the corpse on the tree.

A trap. Someone had known that a Sheikah would've tried to approach the tree. Which meant that there had to be many more traps surrounding the tree.

_ /If Link hadn't stopped me.../_

I couldn't stop staring at the corpses, even as Link pulled me away from the tree. This wasn't like the responses I'd ever seen from Nolan, or the others.

There was something terribly wrong going on in this region.

* * *

The path had dived back into a small forest, winding up a hill. It was a blessing in disguise. I could no longer look back at that grotesque tree. We finally stopped at the hill's crest, looking down upon Ambria-Scoud for the first time... and beyond it, the massive mountain range, capped with snow and harsh rock.

The Snowden.

The city was several miles off. As a central city, it was a respectable size, although it couldn't compare to Kakariko. Ambria-Scoud was divided into two by a vast river that acted as a natural moat around one of the halves. I could make out two bridges - a third possibly - that spanned it. And the city was walled, with guard towers breaking the wall at intervals.

We had to get through the city just to get to the mountains. There was no questioning it. And yet, my mind had gone blank. Where there would have been several plans forming, I could only see those rotting corpses all over again. Entering the city would only add mine to that tree...

"That's it, isn't it?" Link broke the silence.

He was watching me carefully. I didn't meet his gaze.

"Perhaps we can go around the city..."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Link shake his head.

"If they're setting traps like...like that on the small towns, wouldn't they have guards or patrols or something on the exits?"

He was right. They would see us regardless of whether we entered Ambria-Scoud or not.

"It would look suspicious for two travelers to be avoiding the city."

He nodded. "So there has to be another way."

Another glance back at the city. While it was no Hylian village, it had to have guards or soldiers about. A city of that size didn't spring up without some form of defense.

"Did you have any suggestions?" I finally asked.

Link leaned back on his heels.

"Well, it might not work but...When I was back in my own time and leaving home, the Deku Tree told me to meet Zelda. It turned out that was easier said than done."

I hadn't met Her Highness around then, but I could imagine that the King would have surrounded his daughter with a sizable number of guards and Sheikah. No doubt they would have been overzealous in their assignment.

"The guards wouldn't listen to me no matter what I said. I think I was thrown out the gates _at least_ eight times," he shot a small glare at me, just in time for me to stifle the small smile, before continuing. "And that's when I had the Idea."

Link was unable to keep the smirk from his face. "The guards were everywhere where they expected an intruder to try: main gates, side entrances, you name it. But they weren't keeping watch on the waterway into the castle. Once I got in that way, it was surprisingly easy meeting Zelda."

He was right.

We had a chance. There didn't have to be any suicidal attempts at entering through the main gates.

"I don't know if this place has them, but if they do, it's worth a try."

* * *

We had set off down the hill. I kept any eye out for any signs of grating, the sound of water: anything that would be a decent entrance into the water systems into Ambria-Scoud. We had reached the bottom of the hill, and I'd found no signs. Only overgrown weeds, bramble and grass.

There was only a telling creak of wood as a warning. Several things happened at once. There was a loud splintering crack, followed immediately by Link suddenly crying out in surprise. I had whirled around to find him on a knee, his left leg swallowed up by the ground.

I was at his side in a second. There were decaying boards covering up a trench in the ground, neatly camouflaged by the creeping undergrowth. He had sunk thigh-deep through the planks.

"Are you alright?" If his leg was broken...

"Yeah, just get me out of here," he was straining to keep himself from sinking further.

I slid my arms under his and locked my fingers over his chest. Slowly, I started to stand, careful not to pull too fast or to let myself get dragged in after. The wood slowly gave way. Inch by inch, his leg appeared from the hole. I redoubled my efforts, heaving one last time. At the same time, Link pushed off with his free leg.

Suddenly freed, we fell back. Link heaved a sigh of relief.

"I have the worst luck."

I was inclined to agree. Link's head slowly turned then, looking downwards, at where my fingers were still laced across his chest. I swallowed, and released him. My hands didn't seem to want to respond as quick as I'd have liked, releasing him almost reluctantly.

He got to his feet gingerly.

"A trap?" he asked.

There was the sound of running water coming from the trench. I looked from the gap, away towards the city in the distance. Now that I knew what to look for, I could see the planks leading off towards it.

"I don't think so."

I bent, and began prying off more of the faded red planks, expanding the hole Link had made. With each piece that came free, I could see the telltale shine of the light on the water's rippling surface. When I'd widened it to the point where a body could fit through, I sat back on my heels.

"I believe you may have just found our entry point."

Link peered past my shoulder. "Is it deep enough?"

I mentally measured it. It looked to be at least six...seven feet deep. Deep enough.

As my answer, I eased my legs into the hole, sliding down into the cloudy water first. A hiss escaped past my clenched teeth: the water was startlingly cold. At this point, the water was up to our knees. As long as it didn't rise too much later, we'd be fine.

I moved further in. The trench was dark, sparsely lit with bars of sunlight. I glanced further down the tunnel. The top of the ditch was covered mostly with more of the planks wood-plank that were spaced out to allow cracks between each board: most likely to both protect the traffic from stumbling into the waterways, and to allow rain to refill them at the same time. And for our purposes, it would hide us from view. If something went wrong, we could probably break open one of the planks--

. There was a loud splash behind me, as Link slid down after. The trench tilted downwards slightly, following the hill's incline towards the city...

* * *

After nearly two hours, the water was up to our chests. We were right outside Ambria-Scoud's walls. Overhead, I could hear the murmuring and calls of people entering and leaving the city, wagon wheels making the ground rumble. Judging from the mass of activity above, we didn't have to worry about being overheard.

Ahead of us was a metal grating, with a rusted lock just barely holding it to the stone foundation. Link caught my glance and nodded, squeezing past me. I sucked in a breath, hoping to high heaven that he didn't hear it as he moved. The trench was too narrow for two people to get through side by side...and for that brief second, we had nearly been pressed flush against each other. For that brief second, my breath ghosted across the back of his neck.

I couldn't suppress the instinctive shudder.

There was a sharp ring of metal as Link smashed the butt of his sword against the lock. With some difficulty, I struggled to still the butterflies flying around my stomach. It was only after I'd sufficiently reined in the treacherous urges that I turned to watch his progress. He would wait several seconds, keeping an eye on the traffic above, timing each blow with the rumble of a cart or wagon.

It took several more blows before the lock groaned. Another two before it finally gave. Link carefully pushed open the grating. I followed after him. We came out into a small branch: to the left, the trench turned into a tunnel, the other an open waterway. Link was watching me, unsure of where to go.

Silently, I waved him towards the tunnel. We didn't want to come out of the waterway right now. We'd come right out into the middle of traffic, and I didn't want the entire city on us.

* * *

It had to be after sunset now. The water was growing colder with the minute, although it had thankfully lowered down to our waists. I halted under one of the ladders leading up to a manhole. We were far enough to hopefully avoid detection.

"This should be good enough."

"What about that river?"

"The current looks too strong to swim against," was all I said. A small part of me didn't want to admit that I didn't have a plan yet. In the past, Link had never expected me to have all the answers... just most of them. I'd have to come up with something as we went.

I started to reach for the ladder.

"Wait, let me," Link was suddenly pushing his way past me, and before I could stop him, was already climbing the ladder.

I could only shake my head. I didn't know whether it was a sudden surge of protectiveness (it wasn't as if I couldn't take care of myself) or just a fit of rash impulse, or both. There was a whine of metal on rock, followed by a sudden crescent moon of light as Link peaked his head out through the gap between manhole cover and the waterway. For several long seconds, Link was up there. I could see the shadow of his head and shoulders moving slightly against the light as he scanned the area, his back tense.

I didn't dare move: for all we knew, the waterway could easily amplify any sound to someone above.

And then, the cover was suddenly lifting and he was beckoning for me to follow.

I climbed up after him, tried ignore the chill of the dusk air against my soaked clothes. Noiselessly, I hauled myself out of the manhole. No sooner had I cleared it, Link had swooped in to replace the metal cover I winced at the dull noise, and glanced around.

We had been lucky. We had come out on empty sidestreet. Bubble-shaped lanterns, hanging from gracefully curling "leaves" extending from the metal poles, lined the street. The buildings around us were oddly comforting: they looked almost like those back near the castle. They were built of the same white stones, although the tiling and window designs were foreign. But there was that same warm glow of light coming from within, and it was suddenly very easy to imagine that I was done with this mission and back home...

Link jolted me out of that trap. He had grabbed my wrist, and was pulling me out of the street towards an alleyway. No sooner had we entered the alley did I hear it then: chuckles in the growing fog, some coughing, the scrape of metal armor against stone and other metal pieces. We both hid. I flattened myself against the wall, the house's supports providing a decent cover, while Link ducked down behind several water barrels. I could see through the space between the slats on the support. I let my hand hang limp, ready to flick out one of the throwing daggers if we were discovered.

They came into view: they looked more like militia men than the normal guards I was accustomed to. Their armor was pieced-together and ill-matched, but they all wore the same patch on their shoulders - a masked, iron bull against a black background.

_ /Three of them.../_

Mentally, I played out the scenario. If it came down to it, I could take out the one furthest from me with the dagger, as long as I nailed him in the jugular. The one closest with the whip-chain, possibly, but that left the third unaccounted for. Link could cover for me, but I wasn't sure if he could take the last one out before he could sound the alarm...

The patrol stopped at the entrance of the alley-way, their attention thankfully on their conversation and not on their task at hand.

"--hat slacker ripped me off. Never showed this morning."

"Evan's not coming back. You didn't hear about last night?"

There was a grumbled negation. One of the men blew into his hands, steam rising in the air, in a futile attempt to warm his bare hands.

"They tried sending one of the squads up into the --ou know- to try and clean out the blockade. Evan--ith them."

I straightened at this. One of the men snorted, and mumbled something. His partner laughed, while the speaker frowned.

"That's not funny." And he leaned in close, lowering his voice. "--heikah slaughtered them before they could even say... -ord. They're like animals.--at's what Brand's say--g."

The guard who had snorted shook his head, "--on't understand why we don't just get everyone up there and wipe their little den out once and for all--"

The first speaker gave him a look that clearly told him how stupid that idea was. "We don't know how many there are. The traps seem to be working anyway. The Chief will come up with something."

The last was said with a certain unmistakable finality. Another round of grumbling from his subordinates. I ducked back again, as one of the men gave a lazy glance into the alley. Held my breath:

"Looks clear to me."

They moved out of sight. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Link start to rise. I waved him back down. I didn't dare move, even when their footsteps faded from hearing completely. Several more minutes passed, before I finally relaxed. My eyes went to Link's finally, and I nodded. He rose.

"What was that all about?" he looked uneasy.

"I don't know." But I was committing this Brand's name to memory. Whoever he was, he had to be linked to that tree near Tavaloba.

I forced us out of alleyway shortly after. Although we had escaped detection so far, that area was far from secure. I led him through alleyways and narrow side streets, always taking care to keep us out of the lamp light. I didn't know what I was looking for exactly, but whatever it was, we couldn't spend too long out in the open.

* * *

It was nearly a fifteen minutes of dodging patrols in the shadows, when Link finally spotted something. The lane lead past a deep alcove underneath and overpass: one of several alcoves formed from the supporting walls. Unlike the alleyways, there was only one entrance, and the lanterns didn't pierce very far back.

It was as good as our circumstances could provide us. Link understood immediately, and we ducked into the archway, towards the back of the underpass. It was dark as pitch here. I couldn't make out Link's face, but I could tell he was pacing restlessly. We were safe, for the time being, but we both knew it was only temporary.

"So what do we do now?"

"...We could leave the city in a similar fashion as our arrival. We could leave through the waterways." I didn't like this plan of mine. It relied too much on chance, on too many variables, and not enough control in either of our hands: had I more options, I would have discarded this immediately. "But we have to find a way to cross the bridges, before we can re-enter any of the manholes on the other side."

Link frowned.

"The hardest part's going to be crossing the bridge."

"We'll be out in the open, yes."

"We'll need to find where the exit near this Snowden of yours is first...maybe some way to hide your appearance from these people too," Link was muttering to himself, as if trying to mentally prepare himself. I glanced back towards the alcove's entrance. The mist was evolving into a sea of fog, that was slowly crashing in wisps and tendrils from the terraces and rooftops.

Perhaps the Three would favor us. The fog would provide a decent cover.

"You should stay here until I get back."

I started. "Wait--"

He was already moving towards the entrance. "It's safer if I go. I'll be okay."

If it weren't for the worry plain in his voice, I might have felt more at ease. But he was as uncertain - _and as frightened_... - as I was. Separated, there was a significantly lower chance of us surviving if attacked.

I hung back, watching Link's back as he vanished into the fog. There was the terrible sensation, of a yawning void in my stomach, as the white closed around him, and I was stricken by feeling that this could very well be the last glimpse I would ever have of him. That I could lose him again and this time, there would be no coming back.

I forced it down, forced down the need that demanded I follow after Link and stop him, forced the trembling from my hands, forced myself to simply breathe.

* * *

I shifted uneasily where I stood, barely resisting the urge to pace. Although it was a new moon, and even the lanterns didn't seem to quite pierce the murky night fog, I knew that sound would still carry. That it would give away my position, and that I could become like that corpse on the tree.

But I was restless: it had been several hours since Link left me, and even my clothes had managed to dry themselves. Worry, doubt had been gnawing at me - more so with each minute. I knew the villagers had to have seen a stranger with a Sheikah on the Tavaloba outskirts - word passed and quickly, especially during times when paranoia was as contagious as it was. What if they recognized Link? I knew that if they found me, they would kill me without a second's thought: would they do the same to Link? Guilt by association?

I forced my hands to still, and leaned against the bridge support. I couldn't go out and find him. I had no choice but to wait.

Another hour ticked by and Link hadn't shown himself.

_ /They must've caught him.../_

A chill went down my spine at this. Could he be dead already?

I tensed at the sound of soft tread of boots, approaching me. They echoed through the bridge...or was it more than one behind this one? I took a step forward towards the entrance, strained to identify the newcomer. But - aside from a distant row of lamps down the cobbled road- the darkness was as impenetrable as a wall.

The sound was closer, and I realized that that the owner of it was within the tunnel's overhang. I took another step forward, hand twitching towards the blade at my side.

"Link...?" I kept my voice down. There was no answer, just the boot treads that were even louder as the person entered, suddenly a little faster and echoing in the inky blackness. I tried again. "Lin-"

That was as far I as I got: I was suddenly pushed back - hard- against the wall and pinned there by a heavy weight, a hand covering my mouth before I could make another sound.

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

**Completed:** 5/02/06

Feedback etc is always appreciated.

-Wyna


	11. Brand

**Brand**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters: no money is made off this. This story, and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

**Misc:** If anyone's interested, there's an LJ community for this fic. Basically, it acts as a place for me to stash background notes, extra snippets etc. that are related to Aceilux, etc. If you're interested, drop me a PM , as doesn't like links, apparently.

* * *

**Brand**

* * *

I hit the wall, hard, the stranger's hand over my mouth. Almost instantly, I'd acted. I had one of the throwing knives out, and pressed against the shadow's neck. I could at least take this one out before the others came upon me...

The hand moved off my mouth, although the body remained where it was.

"_Sssh_!" a very familiar voice hissed.

Link.

No sooner had he said it, did the owners of the other pair of footsteps appear at the entrance. Two guards, pausing at one of their checkpoints. They were looking out, away from us. I stiffened. One of them must have caught a small glint of light off the knife blade, however, because one of the guards nudged the other.

They both looked our way. The breath caught in my throat.

One of them snickered.

"Looks...ike someone cou-dn't...ait," the lantern bearing guard laughed. Link leaned in closer, just in time to block my face as a beam of light washed over us. I was staring into the shadow of Link's face, into his eyes, trying to keep still and trying to keep silent. And praying that they didn't enter the tunnel. They could see us, our cover had to be blown...

Luck held out. They remained where they were.

"Hoi, I hope she's worth getting the flu for!" One of the guards called out. The other one snorted, and nudged his partner.

"--me _on_, it's fr--zing..."

I watched as the guards hurried away. Their lanterns faded into the foggy night. I let out a small sigh, once I was sure that they were gone...

And I found myself suddenly very aware of the fact that Link hadn't lifted his body yet: warmth and weight all in the right places. That our faces were mere centimeters from each other. I finally flicked the throwing knife away from Link's neck, and dropped my arm slowly, unsure of what to do. Even though we'd been plunged back into darkness, I could feel his eyes on me.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything to break the uncertain silence...

...when he suddenly closed the meager distance between us. An act of impulse. I was too surprised at first to even registered his mouth against mine, other than an initial tingling sensation. It was rushed on his part. I could tell from the first touch that he was afraid that I'd push him off. The truth was that I was far too startled to, even if I'd wanted to.

Whatever I had been about to say died before it left my throat. I'd never let anyone kiss me before and surprisingly, Link had the same lack of experience. He corrected the mistake with a tilt of his head.

My body was more than willing to act on my behalf when my mind had suddenly frozen. It was pure instinct at this point and my lips parted to let him in. He hesitated, for the briefest moment, before he began to explore my mouth with his tongue.

That got my full attention. A little spark seemed to jump down my spine at the first gentle touches. I bit down a groan. The little thrill had gone straight down to my stomach. It was a jolt that I'd known before, but never in this intensity, and it began that familiar, fiery coiling.

What Link lacked in skill, he made up with sheer enthusiasm: he could feel me responding to him, and it made him bolder, enough to brush his tongue against mine. It was almost easy to forget that we were hiding out under a bridge: my world was narrowed down to hot touches of our mouths in the dark, his hands, the growing arousal that was building up. My fingers were clutching at him, pulling him even closer. I was returning the kiss with the same, if not more vigor. There was this taste about him that I suddenly couldn't get enough of.

Link made a wordless sound of surprise. He'd somehow managed to wedge his thigh between mine his full weight leaning against me. That friction sent another tendril of heat curling down past my stomach, and I moaned into his mouth. I couldn't help it. My hips rolled against his leg, pressing my half hard erection against him, and rubbing against the answering one that he had.

Link broke the kiss with a ragged groan. We both gasped for air.

"...I've-I've always wanted to do that..." Link gave a shaky laugh. With an obvious effort, he forced himself away me

Our panting was loud. Too loud now. It echoed slightly in the tunnel.

Somewhat shakily, I pushed myself off the wall. My mind was racing. I hadn't expected this. At all. There were suddenly a hundred questions that I needed to ask, but I couldn't trust myself to speak at the moment. I was having a hard time getting my breathing back on track, much less my mind. I was dangerously close - so close - to just grabbing him and pulling him back, to finish what he'd started. The immediate danger be damned.

Link didn't seem to have much more luck at gaining control of himself.

We stood in the darkness. I was careful to keep away from him. This was torture of another kind: I was restless, almost fidgeting. It would have been easier just to finish it myself at this point, but I didn't think it would do any good for either of our resolves. It took several long, long minutes before I was able to start suppressing the erection. That in itself was a painful affair.

Link seemed to have a harder time reigning himself in. Our breathing was finally quieting, when Link spoke again. His voice was steadier now. "We don't have much time..."

Unspoken was the last part of that sentence, but we both knew what he'd left off. There wasn't any time to confront what had just happened. It would have to wait until later. We had to concentrate right now on getting out of the city... or we would already be killed before sunrise.

At that point, it wouldn't matter anymore.

"The way to the mountains is through the north-east gate. There's a manhole at the end of the central bridge..." I heard him digging into the bundle he'd dropped nearby.

"Here, put this on. Just in case of the patrols," he handed me a sloppy roll of fabric that was surprisingly heavy. I let it drop open and held it against the entrance of the tunnel. It looked to be a large overcoat made of leather, and trimmed with fur on the sleeves and neck. There was the faint smell of rum and smoke on it. I didn't want to ask where he'd found it.

I slipped it on, doing the ties in front. The sleeves went down, a little past my hands, while the fur trim on the neck crowded around my neck: all in all, neatly covering up the uniform I wore.

It was already starting to get uncomfortably hot underneath.

"Take off the bandages and take off the face cover too."

That part made me temporarily forget that spur of the moment kiss. My head snapped over to look towards Link's direction.

"You want me to _what_?"

"You have to take them off. Who else besides Sheikah wear those?"

I didn't move to obey the request.

"What's so hard about taking it off?" Link asked. There was the faintest hint of exasperation.

"Do you know what you're asking of me?" I whispered.

"No. But you have to, or they'll_ know_."

I couldn't explain it to him. At least not in a way he'd fully understand. Revealing one's face was shaming oneself. Only exiles had their faces unmasked...

The only saving grace was that the tunnel was dark. He could barely see my exposed face, as I removed the face cover. My face felt naked, too exposed already. It was strangely like losing a part of myself.

I undid the wind from my hair next.

"What do you want me to do with this?" My voice was remarkably steady, all things considered.

"Wrap it around your eyes."

I took a deep breath, and silently began to do so. My face was flushed now, and it wasn't from the kiss earlier. This was humiliating, even though I _knew_ this was necessary. That it would be foolish to cling to the tradition when our lives were at stake.

But that knowledge didn't make this sting any less.

Link took over winding the bandage around my eyes, even taking the time to wind them over the tops of my ears. I watched as entrance of the overpass faded layer by layer from view. As Link's face vanished into darkness.

He moved away from me, the motion followed by a rustle of fabric and knapsack. Most likely jamming everything into our bags.

I couldn't stop myself from jumping when his voice suddenly sounded next to me.

"Here, lean against me. You have to pretend like you're really weak. No, you can't stand like that, " I felt his arm go around me. "Relax. Try to forget that you're a fighter."

I forced myself to relax, and sagged against him. It felt awkward.

"Good enough," he sounded somewhat satisfied.

"Basically, the story is that you're blind and sick. If anyone asks anything, let me do the talking. They'll know your accent right away if you say anything, so play mute."

"Alright." I could only hope Link had a plan. I wouldn't be able to get the blindfold off in time if it came down to a fight. We began to move, as he guided us towards the exit.

Shame or not, it was already over. I had to learn to live with it. I had lived with far worse. It was just a piece of cloth.

Surviving meant adapting.

And at least it was Link, and not someone else.

* * *

I hated this. I hated not being able to see. I hated giving up what little control I had over this situation.

A step. And another. Each one too quick now that I couldn't see. Even without the act, I was stumbling on cracks, and Link's support was suddenly very necessary. My world had been reduced to wary motions and pitch black night, and muffled sound.

The only comfort was Link's presence next to mine. I had to remind myself over and over that I wasn't alone in the darkness.

And yet, I felt that I was. That dream. My mind played it over - a little too easily for my liking- against the blindfold. The solid, all encompassing void around me. That presence that moved so easily was about again. This was right before I had called out to it, and right before it had embedded the knife in my stomach...I was in that void...and that shadow presence was near...

I must have sank my fingers into Link's arm, because he broke the silence.

"I'm still here," he whispered.

Such an obvious statement shouldn't have been so reassuring, but it was.

"Where are we?"

"Crossing the central bridge. About two-thirds of the way over it. You're not missing much in terms of view," A hesitation. "About what happened under the pass..."

"Are you apologizing?" This was something I didn't want to hear. Especially not now. I was too uncertain over that turn of events to take any more changes.

"No. I was thinking about what you said earlier and I took your advice. I don't regret doing it, even if yo--" Link suddenly cut off. I felt us slow down.

I started to open my mouth to ask what was wrong, when he silenced me. The arm around my shoulders tightened reflexively.

"There's several guards coming our way."

That's when I heard the tread of boots, and the jingle of metal. It was fast approaching.

"What are you doing out here so late? There's a curfew in effect!" A woman's voice.

"What curfew?" Link asked. I let my head hang limp.

"The checkpoint at the gates should have told you about the curfew, and why it's in effect. So why are you out here?" The woman was suspicious.

There was the tiniest pause from Link's end.

"I didn't pay attention to what they were saying. I had other problems on my hands,' He shifted to indicate me. "He's sick."

"He must be really _worth_ the trouble." A man chuckled. The squad's leader was not amused, and silenced him.

"He's my brother," came Link's sullen reply: my head swiveled a little to pinpoint him. He had moved a little, placing himself front of me. "We're trying to get through the mountains."

What she said next made my blood freeze.

"You're going nowhere until I clear you with Brand first. Come with me."

Link was about to argue. I gave him a small jab in the ribs with an elbow. Thankfully, he got the message. We started moving once more, but took a left at the end of the bridge. The manhole - our escape route - was left behind.

Link and I said nothing to them as we were taken towards their destination. I had no idea what he'd had planned, but I could only hope he was coming up with something. And quickly.

The guards talked quietly amongst themselves in the silence. I grit my teeth. As I heard the guards muttering with each other about the other Sheikah they'd managed to trap, and _laughing_ about how each one had fallen, I found myself suddenly wishing that Her Highness hadn't even bothered negotiating with this kingdom. Better yet, she should have flattened it.

The Queen was much stronger than she was before. Possibly even stronger than the Dark King now. Every day, she gained a little more power and a little more skill at her craft, and she was becoming capable of much more than she had four years ago. It wouldn't surprise me to find that, on her own, she'd be able to level Ambria-Scoud in under an hour, if she wanted.

It was a fleeting thought, and impossible - the Queen needed the trade routes for her people - but satisfying enough for me to keep silent.

Link suddenly gave me a warning squeeze. We had slowed to a stop, and I was suddenly aware of the mass of noise around us. There was metal scraping and grinding, hard boot soles on the cobblestones, voices mixing and blending with each other, the crackle of torches.

We were completely surrounded.

"Who's in charge here?" Link demanded._  
_

"I am. My name's Brand. I'm in charge of training our militia, and temporarily in charge of Ambria-Scoud." Brand's voice was deep, rumbling, with a faint rasp to it that betrayed his exposure to smoke. A blacksmith, at least for sometime. Yet I could sense that there was an underlying calculation under the rough manner, a natural intelligence and an innate charisma around him.

The kind that soldiers and people who were frightened for their lives always gravitated to.

I heard Brand get up, and from the shuffling of feet, the crowd parted to make way for him. _  
_

"Hylian? You're far from home, boy."

"Yeah, well, I have somewhere to go. We're trying to get past the Snowden. And I don't appreciate being held up like a prisoner," Link said.

Brand ignored that. "What town are you from?"

I realized immediately that he was testing Link for holes in his story.

"Pehd Wen."

It had been a small town on the furthest shore of Lake Hylia... but it had been burned down by Ganondorf's forces earlier. Had Link made a mistake? Brand, it seemed, had caught onto that as well.

"That's strange, because we hear that it was destroyed," it was almost a lazy observation.

"That's where we're from. I never said that we still lived there."

Brand gave a small chuckle, and continued the interrogation.

"Cremia tells me that you were out past the curfew. You claim that you didn't hear why it's being enforced, because your brother was sick. What's so wrong with him that it makes you willfully ignore this cities' rules?"

"He's throwing up a lot, and feeling light-headed all the time. His vision's going out," Link added. "I was trying to check on his condition. Is that suddenly a crime?"

"Perhaps your brother is sick. Perhaps he isn't..."

Link had no answer to that.

"But I consider myself a fair man. The situation should be explained to you, at the very least: perhaps you'll understand why we have to use such measures."

He paused, as if gathering his thoughts. "...The Sheikah have been gathering up in our mountains for several months," Brand began. I had expected some sign of anger, but his voice seemed strangely deadened. "At first, there weren't any problems with them. They kept to their area of the mountain range. And that was fine. And then, a few months ago, they decided that they would slaughter one of our hunting parties that had been in Snowhead. We never got an explanation out of them for why they did it, only that we had to find out about this when one of the party managed to crawl back. They died almost as soon as they told us what happened. But the scout told me that they appeared out of nowhere, and without warning, began to pick off the hunters."

The mob was murmuring angrily around us. I wanted more than anything to throw the disguise off and sink a knife into Brand's chest.

"Maybe they can get away with it back in your empire but here, the rules are different. What they did was unacceptable, and must be repaid," he continued. "I have a duty to this place to protect it. What they did can't go without consequences. So we began setting traps, setting the curfews, cutting off access to the Snowden. The Sheikah decided that they'd rather continue their slaughter of the several squads we sent up to talk to them."

"You mean the squads you sent up there to wipe them out. You never meant to negotiate with them."

Brand made a wordless noise at being seen through. "There's nothing to negotiate: they're the ones who drew first blood, not us. At this point, it seems like the only option. Our people aren't safe as long as they remain up in those mountains. Since they won't leave..."

"I think you're going a little too far with all this," Link said. I winced.

"Do you harbor any love for them?" Brand's voice was deceptively pleasant.

Link didn't even hesitate. "No, they ruined my life."

I couldn't help but wonder if there was a spark of truth to that...

"But what you're doing here is way too much," he finished.

"What we're doing is protecting our citizens. These Sheikah have proven that they will kill without warning or reason. It would be a _crime_ to let Ambria-Freian's and travelers be killed like this," Brand shot back.

"Well, I don't really care about all this. This is is your business, not Hylian business."

The crowd had gone quiet at that. The silence was heavy, as they waited for Brand's response. I heard him make a "hm" noise, and draw closer to us.

"So you'd try the Snowden, dragging along a near invalid?"

"We'll risk it. I appreciate the concern, but I can take care of him and myself."

"...If you insist. But before I can let you pass, there's one condition," Brand said. "_Him_."

Link froze. Brand had to be pointing at me.

"Give him over for a moment."

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

**Completed:** 5/11/06

Feedback etc is always appreciated.

-Wyna


	12. To Snowhead

**To Snowhead**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters: no money is made off this. This story, and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

* * *

**To Snowhead**

* * *

_"Give him over for a moment." _

I felt Link's hand tighten involuntarily around my arm at the command. The silence was tense, unbearably so surrounded by the solid darkness.

Brand's voice sounded again, impatience tingeing it. "I'm not going to harm him. If what you say is true, then you don't have anything to worry about. Give him over."

Link didn't obey immediately - he was practically quivering with nervousness, uncertainty. And then; his fingers loosened for a moment before he suddenly nudged me towards the voice. I stumbled a few steps, arms going out, flailing: my descent was stopped by a set of hands that caught me by the forearms and righted me.

I tried to relax, but I couldn't help but jump as one of the hands vanished for a moment: only to reappear again, grazing my cheek as it started to undo the bandages around my eyes. I heard a small sound of clothing shifting and then Link's voice, strained, telling them that the light would make my eyes even worse. The hand stilled for a moment then kept going, ignoring him, unwinding the blindfold. Panic flooded me. This man was going to see the very obvious red eyes of the Sheikah; the eyes that were going to condemn me to die here.

But there wasn't anything I could do. If I resisted, it would give us both away.

So I did nothing. It was getting lighter and lighter with each layer removed, when the last bandage finally came off. I blinked owlishly at the flood of torch light. The sudden glare made sparks swarm across my vision.

Brand - nothing more than a large, muscular black shape amid swimming stars- leaned in close. I remembered in time to stare blankly into space, despite the fact that the murderer of my people was no more than a half foot away from my face. I heard the others surrounding us muttering, the words "Sheikah..." drifting to my ears.

Brand was clearer now: a large man with the build of a blacksmith and deadened eyes.

"How come his eyes're red?" he was glancing back at Link, suspicion heavy in his voice. Brand didn't wait for an immediate answer, only raised a large hand to trace my ear. I stifled the immediate urge to jerk away. "And these ears? Something tells me that you're not giving us the entire truth. Doesn't look Hylian to me, boy."

I held my breath and kept still.

It was the unevenness of Link's voice that surprised me, that made me tilt my head slightly back towards him: something was up. I knew he was thinking fast.

"No, he doesn't."

Silence. Brand was staring past me, eyes narrowed, his voice dangerously smooth. The menace wasn't even veiled anymore. "Care to explain this?"

No answer. My heart was thundering in my chest.

"Well?" he prompted.

We both started at the sound of metal and leather crashing to the ground: Link had suddenly thrown our gear to the ground, almost angrily.

"Look, he was captured by the Dark One years ago, _alright_?!" he snapped. "They captured our village and razed it to the ground. And I wasn't there to stop it!"

The crowd had suddenly gone still, startled at the outburst. Brand's shifted to my face, searchingly. I tried to ignore it, staring past him. Link continued, closer now, his voice seeming to tremble with a bitterness that was almost surprisingly convincing.

"You want the truth? Fine. It would make a _great_ bed-time story! You want to know what they did to him in their dungeons? Or maybe what happened when the Black King spotted him out of the crowd of prisoners? He looks almost enough like a Sheikah: it was just a few changes, perhaps like a few mutilated ears, changed eyes and he'd be ready to take to the Black One's bed!"

My gasp of surprise was drowned out by the sudden cacophony of sound from the crowd. Realizing just _what_ Link had implied, Brand suddenly released me, pushing me away as if burned: clearly, I had to be dying early from a curse from the Dark One, rather than any natural affliction.

I fell back several steps, arms shooting out to catch onto Link as he stepped forward. I feigned confusion, let myself lean against him as he bent to retrieve the bandages that Brand had dropped in his haste to rid himself of me. The group had also retreated two feet back.

Link moved, and began to rewrap the blindfold around my eyes, forcing me back into the void. I kept silent and just continued to lean against him, playing along with his story. We still hadn't gotten out of danger.

"Yes, he looks like one of those filthy Sheikah now," he said, his voice quieter now. "But I'm lucky that he was rescued before the end." The next was louder, almost challengingly to Brand. "I'm taking him to the Sea, so he can feel it before he passes on. Or are you going to stop that with your little crusade?"

The crowd was murmuring around us, but I could tell that they remained a respectable distance from us now. I silently congratulated Link for pursuing the point: he had them on the defense, and used their surprise as a weakness.

Brand finally spoke and surprisingly, there was a hint of emotion in his voice beyond calculated coolness. It was rage...and grief.

"They killed my son," his voice was soft.

"I'm sorry for that," Link sounded sincere. "But I have to do this."

Brand had gone silent, for several more long seconds.

"The way through the mountains is on the Car'ker-rae trade road. Don't go off it. We aren't accountable for what happens to you or your brother," he finally said.

There was a mass of activity suddenly as the crowd moved. Parting, I hoped.

"Thanks," was all Link had to say. There was no reply to that, from Brand or the mob around us. Link gave me a small nudge, and I moved with him. He was guiding us away from the masses. I felt the panic start to subside. They were letting us go. My heart was starting to slow its frantic beating.

I didn't say anything until I felt the cobblestones at my feet end, turning into the dirt road. We had left the north-east gate behind. I opened my mouth to speak.

"Keep acting," Link murmured.

"What's going on?" I whispered back.

"There's a squad following us. Bastard's probably still suspicious," Link muttered back.

I continued leaning my weight on him, keeping my head limp.

Twenty minutes or so later, he slowed to a stop

"Are we still being followed?" I muttered.

"No, I don't think so. Or at least, I haven't seen them since we entered the mountains," and he dropped his arms from me, letting me standing up straight. My right side was tingling from the loss of his body heat. I ignored the instinctive urge to move closer to that warmth and instead, began undoing the bandages from my eyes.

"Do you believe what they said?" I asked. Another layer came off. Light was piercing the darkness bit by bit.

"I don't know. There's two sides to every story."

I removed the final layer of bandage from my eyes, and blinked against the sudden flood of light. It was sunrise, and the cold rays were just starting to touch the snow-covered peaks and valleys of the Snowden. It wasn't very bright: there were clouds rolling in, and further into the Snowden, the sky was a deepening gray.

But yet, after being blinded, it was almost too much.

"Hey."

Link was holding out the face cover.

I took it gratefully. It settled in place, like a long lost friend. The sensation of being unprotected, naked was gone, and I was feeling more like myself again. I began rewinding the wrap over my hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Link pulled out an overcoat that mirrored mine, and shrugged it on.

"That was a convincing performance back there."

"Only because your life was on the line," Link replied. He let out the nervous sigh he'd been holding in, and shook his head. "I made a lot of mistakes. I nearly got us killed. And what I _said_..."

He looked like he was going to be sick.

"It was necessary," was all I said. That was the very thing that made lying acceptable at times. Necessity.

Link didn't look entirely comforted by my reassurance, but just settled on hefting his bag again.

* * *

We followed the Car'ker-rae further into the mountains. The morning sun was just barely over the hills. We had about an hour of light before it vanished behind fog and clouds. The Snowden was plunged back into darkening grays.

If we followed Brand's advice, and kept on this trade road, it would lead us through the mountains and out the other side. It was exactly the opposite of what I needed right now. Brand had also mentioned that the first slaughter took place in Snowhead.

It was the only lead we had, and Snowhead was not in the same direction that the Car'ker-rae was leading. There had to be some path that the soldiers used to get there. It was just a matter of finding it. I kept my eyes open.

It was two hours later that we stumbled upon the faded post that pointed towards a half snowed-in path, that broke away from our road. It read - "Car'rehn'ten to Snowhead".

If that hadn't been an obvious sign, then the shattered barrier and Ambria-Freian corpses littered around it were.

* * *

It snowed on and off, although not as harshly as I'd initially feared it would. The Car'rehn'ten was much more treacherous than the first trade road: with workers from both sides unable to stay up here for long, it had fallen into disrepair. There were pits and craters from where boulders had hit over the months. Parts of the road would fall away the moment any weight was put on it, and go slithering down the sheer drop.

I led the way from there. I was the more experienced tracker out of the two of us and so far, I'd managed to divert us from several potential disasters. The road itself being one.

The ice that was forming on it being another. It was draining, keeping all my senses alert, and our pace was nearly crawling to a halt at times. I was starting to shiver, but kept quiet. Link seemed to be doing better than I was, and just hunched the coat closer about him.

* * *

I was starting to lose track of the time. We needed a small rest. We were going on empty stomachs, and while it would have been possible to go further with it on normal grounds, it would only increase our chances of injury due to lack of concentration here.

The snow had weakened: the closest to a lull that the Snowden would afford us. We had stopped on shelf. It took a few tries, but I managed to track down our next meal, and successfully make the kills. While I did that, Link had managed to get a small fire going, half sheltered from the wind by the boulder. At this point, it wouldn't matter too much if there was smoke.

In this weather, I doubted that it would be easily spotted.

We sat in silence, focusing on gutting and cleaning the carcasses. My mind, however, wasn't fully into the task. It was back, beneath that dark pass...

We had survived passing through the city. I had half expected otherwise.

And now, because of that, there were several complications now. All of them dealing with Link, and what he'd done back there. I couldn't deny the fact that I certainly wasn't regretting it, but...

I knew it wasn't so easy. Nothing was ever so clean cut. And as much as I wanted to believe that he'd acted out of his own feelings for _me_, pure and simple, I couldn't easily stomach the fact that it could be misplaced. It very well could be, and it was mostly my fault.

What I felt towards him alone wasn't contaminated with deceptions. At my suggestion years ago, Zelda had disguised herself as me when she'd left to meet Link at the Temple of Time. It had been nothing more than a last attempt at a safety measure for her. I hadn't thought of the complications that it would bring up. My only concern then had been her well-being.

This thought had been on my mind, ever since that rushed kiss. Her Highness and I knew the truth and details of how that exchange had happened, as did all the people who survived: I suspected it was even being written of in history books now.

Link, however, had not known any of this. The last thing he'd seen in the building ruins was Ganon and the Queen, who to all intents and purposes, had been at his side all those months. Never mind my presence with him now - his feelings could have been meant for Her Highness all along.

I glanced over at him. Link was concentrating on the task at hand, although I noticed that he wasn't putting his heart into it.

I finally spoke.

"Can I ask you something?"

He shifted the knife, concentrating on keeping his hand steady, but I saw his eyes flick back towards me, and he nodded. I took a breath and went on.

"...How can you be sure that it wasn't Her Highness that you were with the entire time?"

Link looked at me, startled.

"What?"

"Under that bridge, you said that you'd always wanted to do that," I clarified. '_That_', however, didn't need clarifying. We both remembered that far too well. "But perhaps it was never me to begin with."

Link stopped his knife hand, letting it rest.

"You mean when Zelda met me in the Temple of Time."

I nodded.

"She _did_ look almost exactly like you," he admitted. "I was fooled for a few seconds. So when she threw off that appearance, I was.." he hesitated, searching for the right words. "I was angry and confused, at the deception and at what I'd felt the entire time towards you - or, "her". Zelda's like a best friend, but I'd never really felt anything towards her beyond that before, so..."

I felt my heart sinking with each word he said.

Link only gave a helpless shrug. "Looking back, I can see it was necessary."

Somehow, he caught the pained look that passed unchecked across my face. He held up a hand.

"I'm not done yet," he said. "I realized almost immediately after that, that it wasn't her all along - only that once. I can't explain it, but you both feel _different_. I don't know if that makes any sense, but... even if she'd used all her magic to conceal herself, I think I still would have known it wasn't you."

He looked out towards the mountains in the distance. The next was more to himself than to me.

"I'd wondered what happened to you. She never got the chance to say anything before Ganondorf found us. All that time in the tower, I'd thought you were dead," The last was almost a whisper.

I didn't know what to say to that. I had been so caught up in that moment, in just the panic to find them both, that I hadn't thought of what Link had been feeling during that time.

Link resumed his work on the carcass, finishing up on it.

"I meant what I said back there," he said. "If you're thinking it was because of the whole ''we-might-die'' thing, that's not it either."

That had also crossed my mind.

"I just don't know why you would..." I started.

Link shrugged. "I don't know _why_ I feel the way I do. I know that I do, though. Is there a need to question it, and make it more complicated than it really is?"

That didn't quite ease away my concerns. I was far too used to examining others' feelings for ulterior motives or other explanations: it was how I'd survived so far. I couldn't get used to the idea yet, that Link might just have shared the same feelings and that there was nothing else to it besides honest interest.

"It's that look again."

Link was developing that same uncanny ability that Her Majesty possessed: the talent to read my face even though it was half covered.

"Sheik, you worry too much."

"I know."

If Link was right and it was as simple as he claimed it was, then... perhaps I could learn to get used to "simple" and "honest", and stop looking for other motives. Perhaps this was the place to finally start.

* * *

After the meager meal, we set out again. We didn't speak again much after that. The temperature was dropping as we rose, and our breathing was a little more labored. We were concentrating on keeping the overcoats on, and making each step without slipping.

The snow grew heavier, the flakes settled on our hair. I didn't let Link sleep yet: out in the open here, it would amount to suicide. We had to find shelter before we could rest, and I kept any eye out for anything that would serve as such. But other than that, I didn't talk to him. We both had to conserve our energy for the climb.

Several hours passed, and we were finally approaching Snowhead. I could see it in the distance: an enormous shadow that was wreathed in fog. The peak vanished into the dark clouds.

The path was hugging the side of a cliff that overhung over it. There was a large boulder that was carved into a crumbling statue of a masked bull, like a silent guard set halfway into the cliff wall. The empty eyes stared out into the Snowden. One horn was broken off, but aside from the light covering of snow, it was in decent shape.

It was here that I halted.

"What is it?" Link stopped next to me.

"That."

I pointed towards several large, irregular lumps in the snow, with wood pieces just barely sticking up from it. One of them had a torn strip of hide fluttering from it. But other than that, nothing else broke the monotony of the snow.

Link raised an eyebrow and looked back at me, unimpressed.

"It may be a sign that they've passed this way," I explained.

I knelt next to the mound, brushed aside the snow with a hand. Just as I'd thought. There were signs of a Sheikah post here, scattered around what must have once been a ritual site. I uncovered a makeshift wall, several broken support poles, a broken blade, signs of discarded food that was still somewhat recent.

This was promising. We were going the right way.

Link had wandered away from me, looking in fascination at the bull statue. I watched out of the corner of my eye, as he gave into that still boyish urge to touch everything, and poked the bull in the empty eye socket.

Some things just didn't change.

He turned towards me, and butterflies suddenly appeared in my stomach.

...And some things did.

Link was looking at me with this expression of sudden worry, mixed in with lurking dread.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just had this thought," he looked down. "It isn't just me that feels the same way, is--"

Link never got the chance to finish. The snow around us suddenly exploded. I caught flashes of figures rising up from the snow, others appearing on the cliff side, and jumping down/skidding towards us. They were dressed in white and gray fur pelts, wearing masks over the bottom of their faces to protect from the cold. And they were all armed.

I didn't even have time to yell a warning at Link. The first one had appeared almost of nowhere, a nasty hook, rope, and grapple aimed at me with the sole intent to disembowel. I barely had the chance to side-step. It happened smoothly, my body going on pure instinct: I grabbed the extended forearm and using their momentum, sent them slamming into a snowdrift several feet away.

Everything was too fast. I lost sight of Link. All I saw were more rising up out of the snow. Nothing but snow, blades, fur pelts, masks, and killing blows aimed at me. At the edge of my vision, I caught the one I'd thrown already getting to his feet. I had time to dance out of the way of the second opponent.

The third attacker came at me, wielding a curved dagger: from the slighter build, a woman. She lunged at me.

I took her by surprise. Rather than trying to dodge the stab completely, I spun on my heel. The move brought me suddenly behind her. My arm lashed out. It was over almost instantly: I had the third attacker in a stranglehold, my left arm locked over her throat, that hand latched onto her armed wrist, and my right hand holding a knife over her jugular. She gave a strangled gasp of surprise and tried to struggle out of the hold, flailing. In reply, I kicked her legs out from under her, and half-knelt with her as she lost her support.

She was completely immobilized. The chaos around us suddenly froze. I felt the blades about to pierce my back halt.

I didn't apply any more pressure to her throat yet, using the time I'd just bought to look around for Link. I hoped to the Three that he hadn't been killed: I hadn't been able to keep any eye on him during the confusion.

After several tense moments, my eyes settled on him. He was trapped against the cliff side; several of the masked attackers holding holding swords, which they'd been about to run him through with, but they'd been having difficulty getting past his defenses. They were staring at me, their gazes - shadowed by their hoods - unwavering.

I ignored the faint press of the blade tips into my spine. If they ran me through, they'd injure the girl. If they tried for any other method to take me out, I was holding her too close not to kill her before I died.

I looked around at our opponents, at Link. He was breathing hard, but other than that, seemed uninjured so far.

Nineteen or twenty attackers. There was no way we could take them out. My gaze flicked back to Link, and our eyes met for a brief moment.

My voice rang out into the chilled air.

"Let him go," and I tightened the hold slightly on the woman's throat. She gave a small yelp.

And for a moment, all I could hear was the woman's harsh breathing, and see the small clouds puffing out into the chilly air. The blade tips at my back and at Link's stomach didn't withdraw...

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

**Completed:** 5/18/06

Feedback etc is always appreciated.

-Wyna


	13. Ephell

**Ephell**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters: no money is made off this. This story, and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

* * *

**Ephell**

* * *

One of them finally broke the silence: it was the girl. At first, I couldn't understand what she was saying. It took a few seconds for me to realize that she was swearing at me in very heavily accented Sheikah. At the same time, another voice came from behind me.

This one I recognized. I'd first met the owner at Her Majesty's coronation, as he swore his oath to her.

"Is that you, _het'vahrar_?" The Hylian he spoke was not as halting as I'd remembered. He'd been practicing.

"... Kafei?"

He gave a muffled grunt. "I thought I recognized that throw. Hylian-hybrid, right?" Kafei came into view, moving a little stiffly and shaking off the snow from when I'd thrown him: a Sheikah from one of the Southern tribes, and two years my junior. He pushed off the hood, and pulled down the first mask. Black hair, and reddish-orange eyes, and wearing a metal plate as a face cover instead of cloth.

He turned and gave the command to stand down to the other Sheikah. Instantly, the weapons all lowered and they all relaxed. I released the woman. She got to her feet - somewhat shakily- and shot me a small wince, rubbing at her throat.

"Are you alright?" I asked her. She only stared at me blankly.

"Anju doesn't speak Hylian. Half of us up here don't," Kafei supplied.

I asked her again in Sheikah, and she nodded.

"_Hië të mai-ësh anak hsh'kaizahr mo tuhlaën_," she replied. Even so, I noticed that she was skirting around me, as if afraid I would still have another go at her. The other scouts were gathering around us. They were whispering amongst themselves, a few pointing towards Link. Several were realizing just _who_ my companion was.

"Didn't recognize you in that Ambria-Freian filth you're wearing," one of the other Sheikah said. Now that I could see into her hood, I caught the white tattoos under her eyes that described her as coming from Impa's tribe. She looked at my side, where Link had joined me. "Our apologies for attacking you both."

Link muttered something - an acceptance- but didn't press the point. He had instinctively moved closer to me. After such an ambush, I couldn't blame him. He was staring openly at the Sheikah surrounding us: outside of Impa and myself, his contact with my people had been severely limited. Seeing several representatives of the different tribes in one place was a new experience for him.

As it was for me. Outside of battle, it was unnatural to see the different tribe members gathered in one place. I turned to Kafei.

"Why is everyone gathering up here?"

I didn't bring up the fact that Kafei and the other Sheikah had forsaken their vows. There would be a time for it later. I needed them to help me at the moment, regardless of the shame they'd brought on themselves.

"We were ordered back. You were ordered back as well," it was an accusation. I didn't answer that. Kafei shrugged and changed the subject. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on business for the Queen."

Kafei's eyebrows started to wrinkle with disapproval.

"I was told that there was a Servant of Din in these mountains who could help me," I finished.

"You were told right then. We'll take you to her."

"Thank you."

"It'll be a two day journey. Maybe you'll change your mind about the summons by then," Kafei added.

I knew that I wouldn't, but I only gave a shrug.

* * *

My calves had nearly gone numb from both the cold and the strain. A glance over at Link showed that he wasn't in any better shape: every few steps, he'd wince. Even though the other Sheikah had made their intentions clear, he was still keeping close to me.

A blizzard was starting to blow in from the north. Kafei doubled the pace. We only continued about three more miles or so before they - thankfully - decided to rest for the night. We were approaching another of the bull statues, although this one was in even worse shape than the previous one.

It was at this marker that Kafei suddenly turned the corner, and seemed to vanish.

As I drew closer to that point, I realized that he hadn't actually disappeared into thin air, but through a narrow passage way between a boulder and the marker. The other Sheikah, as soon as they caught up, were filing in. I nudged Link ahead of me. The sooner he got out of the cold, the better.

The entrance widened as I went through, to a more comfortable height and width, opening up into a cavern. A longer study showed that the cavern was really a series of interconnected caves, although I couldn't tell if it was natural or man-made. From the looks of the supplies left here, my people had been making use of it for months. Already, several were lighting lanterns.

I caught Link being pointed towards one of the further caves, and moved to join him. Several of the others were beginning to settle down around the caves as I pressed past them. One voice - slightly louder than the others - brought my attention to its owner, who was standing near Kafei.

"_Kahmul Nadi_?" It was one of the scouts who'd attacked me second. He was sneaking peeks at Link with fascination, and more than a little awe. Kafei nodded, said something I couldn't make out, and motioned for the Sheikah to join him outside. They vanished around a corner... although the other couldn't help but keep looking over his shoulder at Link.

Time hadn't dulled the stories about a living legend. Link would probably be either amused or embarrassed.

I found Link settling in against a wall. They had placed him in a half secluded corner of the cave, while the rest piled into the main "room". They were giving him as much privacy as they could while sacrificing their own. It was a gesture of respect and reverence that wasn't lost on me.

"How are you holding up?"

"_Cold_," Link complained. "And my legs are killing me just looking at you still standing."

My legs, numbed from the cold, suddenly throbbed in pain, as if Link's reminder was a cue. I took the suggestion, and sat next to him. Even though we were inside, he still seemed oddly pale.

"They didn't injure you, did they?" If they did, even putting so much as a scratch on him, I was going to make certain that whoever was responsible had to face at least some consequences. Whoever this servant of Din was, they probably still listen to me over someone who was as good as an outcast.

"No," Link grinned. "Give me some credit. I was doing okay against them before they swarmed me."

"_Het'vahrar_," I looked up, to see Anju standing over us. She had two bowls in her hands, steaming with broth and meat. The first she handed to Link, the second she handed to me. Link's thanks was only barely acknowledged - it was likely that it was one of the few Hylian words she understood. Her eyes flicked towards Link, to me, and back to Link, curiously. She seemed to be deliberating on whether to say something or not.

It didn't take long for her to come to a decision.

"_Aenlë ni tëluu-hersh nëhn_?" she asked.

I nearly dropped the bowl. I couldn't think of a good answer to that question, other than to mumble something noncommittal. Anju shrugged, and after leaving more blankets, left to rejoin Kafei.

"What? What did she say?" Link asked, baffled.

My face was starting to burn. The wall behind Link's head was suddenly far more interesting than before.

"She asked if we were lovers," I muttered.

I had half expected Link to get embarrassed or annoyed at the presumption. Instead, he just gave a small shrug. Took a cautious sip from the bowl.

It wasn't the usual kind of response I would have expected from him at something like this. He was oddly quiet, actually taking that invasive question into serious consideration, rather than brushing it off. The fact that Link was doing this made me pause.

I was even more uncertain than before on where we stood in relation to each other. Before that kiss, I'd knew where the boundaries where, what was acceptable, how to act myself.

I didn't know what Link was thinking on this issue. In the graveyard in Kakariko, years ago, I had once had a discussion with Link about manipulation and need. It was something that I'd felt he'd needed to know. That day, I had killed a little more of his innocence in order to teach him. Manipulation was necessary, something everyone did in some form. But he'd also come out of that conversation with something else: the concepts of "right" and "necessary" didn't always coincide.

...Just as sex and love didn't necessarily equate each other.

I didn't have much experience in either. I had _some_ in regards to first matter... and that had been one of the stupidest mistakes I'd ever made when I was younger. But even then, I'd unconsciously known the potential difference between the two. Back then, it hadn't been for love or even caring. It had felt good, of course, but empty. And that emptiness had hurt.

Link was a different case. I cared for him. I looked at him and saw a friend, rather than a potential pawn, or opponent, or obstacle. The only other person I could trust. It didn't feel wrong when we touched. I didn't feel guilty.

The question was whether Link knew of these complications. Chances were that he never had the chance to make that discovery on his own before that final battle. Chances were that he'd discover the mistake in me.

There wasn't much I could do in this situation, other than to let it play out as it would. Instinct said to go ahead, press further, but the cooler intellect said to wait and see what Link did.

Even so, I wanted nothing more than to try for another kiss. There was something addicting about the taste of his mouth. My eyes had gone to his lips, despite my earlier resolve, as I started on the soup. The temptation was very strong...

"Why do they keep calling you that?" Link suddenly asked.

I only looked at him, unsure as to what he was asking.

His face went a little pink. "I can't pronounce it."

Oh.

"'_Het'vahra_r' means 'wanderer'. It's about as neutral as they can get."

Link's eyebrows furrowed. "But I thought..."

"You didn't really think that Sheik was my real name, did you?"

The pink blossomed into full-blown flush, and he didn't answer. I didn't need one to know that was exactly what he'd thought. I pretended not to notice that reaction. Let him pick up his slightly wounded dignity.

"I was never given the chance to get my name," I said. "In our culture, if you are not named by your ,birth parents you are unable to receive one: no other person has the right to give a life name to another," and here, I hesitated. "... My parents were dying of the plague soon after I was born. My cousin stole me to save my life. "  
I hated talking about this: about my cousin especially. He had given me a chance in this world, and I repaid him with his own death. But there hadn't been a choice. He would have done the same, had that situation been reversed.

Link had fallen silent, his full attention on me.

_ /This is probably the most I'd ever told him about myself./_

"Can't you just give yourself a name?" he asked. That familiar hint of rebellion was in his voice.

I shook my head. "No. But orphans may earn their rightful name if they are deemed worthwhile in the Three's eyes. I have not been offered that option yet."

Link's jaw all but dropped.

"Are you joking?! You helped save Hyrule!"

Only by assisting Link, but I knew what he was trying to say. Perhaps all this would have bothered me long ago... butover the years, I'd let myself fall into a dull resignation. I only gave a shrug. "Clearly, I have not yet been deemed worthy."

Link snorted loudly.

"Yeah, well, _clearly_, they don't know any better," he looked like he was going to rant, but was suddenly at a loss of what to say. He settled on an irritated grimace, the contempt for that particular tradition plain. "You're more than worthwhile."

I couldn't help but smile a little. There was a long silence.

"...So what do I call you then?"

"The same as you always have. I'm still the same person, named or nameless," he was looking at me, still uncertain. I just shrugged. "Besides, 'Sheik' is much shorter to yell for if you need help, rather than fumbling for something else."

Link sputtered, and shot me a glare.

"You're laughing at me," Link said accusingly.

"I might be."

Link finished the soup quickly, and I ended up giving him the rest of mine. I hadn't much of an appetite as the years went by. At least one of us would find it useful.

As I watched him work on finishing that, I frowned. Something had been bothering me ever since the attack. That look of dread on his face as our eyes met wasn't something I'd forget any time soon. He had been about to say something important...

"You were going to say something before we were ambushed," I started.

Link gave an embarrassed cough. "It was stupid."

An eyebrow lifted.

Link sighed. "I was just going to ask if you felt the same way towards me, or if I forced the kiss on you."

I wasn't ready to have this talk so soon.

"What do you expect of me?" I asked.

"I'm asking you. I don't want any riddles on this," Link was meeting my gaze, evenly. Gone was any trace of that easy-going nature from before. "If you do feel something toward me, then I want to know, but if you don't... well, I'd want to know too."

He had the look of someone prepared to be disappointed. Seeing that look in his eyes made something in my chest constrict.

I took the bowl from his fingers and set it down. When it came to what I was feeling internally, I was never very good at showing it. I'd been taught that to do so openly would be to leave one vulnerable to attack. It might have been partially why Link had fascinated me from the very start. He wasn't calculating in his emotions. What was there was pure and honest. Something I couldn't be.

I couldn't explain what I felt in words. But I could explain in actions.

Reaching out, I curled my fingers around the base of his neck. He started. Our eyes met.

Link was suddenly uncertain. Back under the bridge, it had been dark, something that was spur of the moment, born partially out of fear. It wasn't that way now. We could see each other. We were faced with something other than just a body. It implied consequences, something more that could be at stake...

I pulled him close before he could second guess himself.

It was a slow, almost leisurely kiss: it had nowhere near the urgency as the one before. Our lives weren't in danger, and I wanted the chance to make it more clear that it wasn't an act of desperation on my part either. That it wasn't just him. I watched as Link's eyes closed, before I let myself do the same.

I gently brushed his mouth, just light little touches at first, before I parted his lips with my own. I felt him lean towards me.

I had the luxury now to more fully explore and taste his mouth, brushing my tongue against his teeth, against the corner of his mouth... It was unhurried on my part. It was warmth, welcome heat. It was the only thing I could really feel at this moment. My fingers were chilled, the rest of me uncomfortable in this frigid climate. The intimate touches were sending small little flares of heat through my body. But it wasn't enough to combat against the Snowden's temperature.

Link was content to sit back for only so long. He deepened the kiss, just a little. My fingers tightened in the hair at the nape of his neck.

It seemed like we were both fast learners.

Under the blankets, Link had moved his hand to rest against the junction of my hip, fingers tantalizingly close, thumb absently stroking . All I would have to do was ease my hips a little...

I missed a breath.

The temperature was dropping: I had break the kiss finally to reach over and pull over another blanket. Link sucked in a sharp breath, and licked at his bottom lip. He opened his eyes.

"Wow," he breathed.

"It's too cold for this," I muttered.

Link chuckled although he couldn't hide the drowsiness. The shared body heat and the blankets were finally starting to work. "And here I thought that you'd have an issue with the potential audience."

I had completely forgotten that there were the others in the cave, and that we were only partially obscured from them by the cave formations.

"So does that answer your question?" I asked.

Link yawned. Smiled a little. "Yeah. I think it did."

He leaned a little closer, the day finally catching up to him. There was a little more color to his face now, although not as much as I would have expected, our activities considered. It was worrying. I didn't say anything about it then. Perhaps it would clear up in the morning.

* * *

I woke up shivering. Link had somehow managed to steal the rest of blankets, leaving me with only his body heat. It wasn't enough to keep me asleep.

My eyes opened to darkness, and quickly adjusted. The cave was empty, with the exception of a few sleeping bodies and a Sheikah hovering at the entrance, back to me. But there were others missing.

I got up, quietly, and joined the sentry, rubbing at an arm to get the feeling back.

"What's going on?"

The Sheikah turned: it wasn't Kafei, but the woman who had apologized earlier to Link and myself.

"_Tash_!" she hissed.

I fell silent. The other Sheikah was leaning forward, head tilted, as if straining to hear something. After a minute or so, she began to whisper.

"Listen. Can you hear that?"

I listened, but all I heard was the howl of wind in the mountains and valleys.

The woman shifted positions uncomfortably, eyes on the snowstorm outside.

"It's been strangely quiet out there. Not a single sound from any of the animals or birds in the Llambadehn. It's unnatural," she grumbled. A slow, unnerved headshake. "Kafei took some of the others to investigate. Were you followed?"

"No. Link said that Brand's people stopped at the Snowden's entrance."

She just sighed, even more disturbed.

"I don't like this," she muttered. She glanced at me. "Try and get some more sleep. Tomorrow's climb won't be easy."

I left her side, going back to Link. She remained where she was, a shadow framed by the cave entrance against the somber outside, spine ramrod straight and still peering into the snowstorm.

* * *

Anju was the first to return, followed closely by Kafei.

I woke early, in time to be the first to see Anju returning with three other Sheikah in tow: a little further down the trail, I could pick out the shapes of Kafei and his small group coming up behind her. I had finished packing by the time both groups had arrived.

"Kafei?" the sentry from the night before pushed her way past the sudden crowd.

"We couldn't find anything -ut of--rdinary," Kafei's voice was nearly overpowered by the flurry of activity in the caves, but even from here, I could pick out the confusion. He looked puzzled.

"What's going on?" Link had appeared at my side, half-asleep, and hair tousled.

"We're going to be leaving soon." I answered. "Get something to eat, quickly."

I went to double check our things when Kafei joined me.

"We're going to try and make it to Ephell today. I don't think it's best we stay out here any longer." Kafei said.

"You didn't find anything, did you?"

Kafei paused. "No. We didn't. Aveil told you what was wrong?"

If that was the sentry from last night, then yes. I nodded.

"The most difficult stretch is coming up. We'd normally take another day, but I don't think we should wait around..." he trailed off, watching me as if for advice. Even after the time apart, he was expecting me to take charge.

I only focused on adjusting the straps on the bags. "Do what you must."

Kafei looked taken aback. I didn't care either way.

I had no responsibility to those who'd disgraced themselves and forsaken their oaths.

Morning was a brief event in the Snowden. The warmth-less sunrise was visible for only an hour before the beginnings of another storm began to brew on the horizon.

The last several miles were the most dangerous. At points, the trail seemed to disappear completely, at others, it shrank: only one person at a time could go on it, and just barely. It was starting to snow by the time we reached the last obstacle to Snowhead.

The Wall.

The name couldn't have been more dead on the mark. It was a nearly vertical cliff that vanished into a thick layer of clouds far above. From here, I could see that a giant crag ran diagonally down it, spanned only by a tiny bridge. Scattered among the ice were the remains of a small path, that twisted a serpentine path through the unwelcoming terrain.

We were forced to walk single file much of the time. Anju led the way further up ahead, while somewhere further back - I had lost track of him half an hour ago- Kafei acted as a vanguard, keeping an eye for those in danger of falling behind and for potential Ambria-Freians.

I couldn't see them even making it this far, but it seemed that perhaps the other Sheikah here had.

For the first few hours, all I could think of was the cold. The next hour, concentrating on not slipping on the icy patches. The hour after that, the pain in my legs. The pain faded, and then all I could think of was the shortness of air in my lungs as we ascended. The storm had grown worse: the world was reduced to being nothing more than dark grays and whites, of the clouds and snow.

We were a little over halfway up the Wall when I noticed that Link had fallen behind. I glanced back, concerned. His lips were pressed tightly, in what had to be a grimace of pain.

Link had shown remarkable resilience against the snow before. Something was wrong. Pressing myself against the wall, I slowed to wait for him, letting the others move past me. He didn't even notice that I had stopped- his head was down, slowly trudging past me. I reached out, and gently stopped him. He jumped.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

It was an automatic reaction of his that I saw through immediately: the faintest wince from him confirmed it. I only gave him a silent stare in response. I didn't believe a word of it, and we both knew it.

Link sighed, and rubbed at his temple with chilled fingers. He sounded almost apologetic. "It's that buzzing in my head. It's been getting louder ever since we left the Sun Temple."

So we were getting closer to this prophesied harbinger.

"Which direction is this buzzing coming from?"

"Somewhere over there," and Link waved a vague hand to the east, away from where we were headed. So we still had some distance to go still.

I looked back in time to catch a grimace on Link's face. Ahead of us, I could see that a few of the other Sheikah had stopped and turned back to watch us.

"Can you continue?" If he couldn't, I was going to have to try and drag him up the mountain. I was already half-frozen myself, and the effort it took to climb was taking a heavy toll on my body. I wasn't looking forward to the prospect of added weight. But, if it came down to it, I would drag him as far as my legs could take me.

"Yeah. It just feels like a headache, that's all."

"Is everything alright?" Kafei had appeared from below, bringing up the rear. We had lingered long enough for the other Sheikah to catch up.

"It's fine," I said. I didn't particularly care to share more than I had to with the other Sheikah. What happened to Link was between us. "How far until we reach this Ephell?"

"It's two more hours up the cliffside. Just hang in there."

I looked back, concerned, to Link, who was still holding his head.

"I'll be okay." An embarrassed grin.

The headaches seemed to come and go. Most of the time, Link could walk by himself. It was only once or twice that I had to support him. The color about him still hadn't returned to what I was used to.

The headache seemed to vanish once we had reached the top. We were the last, followed by Kafei. The rest of the group was waiting for us on the ledge.

They were standing around what appeared to be a boulder that had crashed from somewhere above. One by one, they seemed to vanish around it. Kafei strode ahead, beckoning for us to follow. This tunnel was more spacious than the other one, and we could walk two abreast. The darkness didn't last long; orange-yellow light was coming from somewhere up ahead. The air was also getting warmer.

The entry was widening as we approached the source of the light. There were carvings on the wall, depicting Molgera in her various forms. Compared to the reliefs back in O-kerth, they looked crude in comparison.

It didn't take too long before we came out of the tunnel. The inside of Ephell was immense. We had come out into one of the middle levels of the cavernous city-fortress: above and below us, the city spiraled. The ledge path twisted up and down along the walls: I could see little windows carved in the rock, flickering lanterns hanging, or embedded within the rock. I couldn't see the roof from here. Peering over the edge of the level, I couldn't see the bottom either.

I had never seen a spiral city like this. It seemed like something more along the lines of a fortress layout.

From the looks of it, we weren't unexpected. There were even more Sheikah here, many going about their business, others stopping to stare. One of them - hailing from one the southern-based tribes, if his clothes were anything to judge by- was already waiting for us. Kafei and Anju strode forward to meet him.

It was then that two blurs shot around the corner. Link was nearly bowled over by two children that had charged past. Brother and sister, from the looks of it. They were speaking in broken Hylian, mixed with Sheikah, and speaking it fast, and over each other. It was too hard to understand what they were saying: all I could tell, from what little I could get, was that they were excited about an outsider. It seemed that, despite the danger from the Ambria-Freians, they retained an interest in outsiders. And in the boredom brought on by being confined to this place, Link was about to become a new source of entertainment. They had wrapped themselves around his arms.

"_Tael_! _Tatl_!" Anju had whirled on them, clearly horrified at this treatment of the Hero of Time.

I didn't hear their answer, as Kafei and the new Sheikah had approached me.

"We have several rooms for you while you stay here. Kafei can show you to one," the stranger said. "I will alert the High Priestess that you seek an audience with her."

Now I knew what Faneer had meant by a Servant of Din. The High Priestess was the closest thing to a leader for our people, outside of the tribe leaders. It was extremely rare that she exerted her authority, however. And it didn't make any more sense for the High Priestess to be here. Last I had heard, she had been further south.

"Thank you." I turned back to find that Link's situation hadn't improved. Anju was apologizing profusely to Link, who was trying to wave it off.

Link cast me a look that was both sheepish and what could have been a cry for help. Tael was trying to tug him one way, while Tatl was trying for the other direction. It was clear that I wasn't going to be able to pry the two of him anytime soon.

"I'll show you where your room is later, _Kahmul Nadi_," Aveil added. Around us, the scouting group was disbanding. Another one was leaving to take its place.

"I'll get us settled then," I said. I doubted Link minded the siblings' presence as much as he let on. It would do him some good to be able to explore this place. I could take care of the less interesting task at hand.

"You're sure?" he asked.

A nod. Link turned and gave his "go ahead" to the two. I watched as Link was led away, as he - apparently- began to introduce himself to them. The siblings' eyes had gone rounds as saucers.

Kafei was waiting for me, the other Sheikah already gone. We went down, in the opposite direction as Link, the path curving along the walls of the enormous cavern: every now and then paths would branch out, going into the walls. Most likely leading to other residences. We walked for some time. We were three levels down from the entrance, when Kafei finally broke the quiet.

"I don't understand it," he started.

I knew what was coming.

"I understand that you feel bound by your vows to the Queen, but she..."

"This isn't up for discussion," I said flatly. Kafei's mouth shut, as if stung. We walked in an uncomfortable silence after that. I was relieved once we arrived in front of the offered room, even more so when the other Sheikah left. I had the mission and Link to worry about. I didn't need any more to add onto that.

The room was decently sized. Beds, skins, blankets, a bathing area, lanterns. Nothing elaborate, but definitely far more welcome than rock or grass. I rid myself of the Ambria-Freian coat, leaving it in a heap in the corner. Once we left the Snowden, I was going to throw it somewhere. Or burn it. I wouldn't ever wear something like that again.

I had only started unpacking when there was a knock on the door. I cracked it open. It was the man who had met us at the tunnel.

"Her Grace will see you now, _het'vahrar_."

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

**Completed:** 8/11/06

Feedback etc is always appreciated.

-Wyna


	14. The Hand of Din

**The Hand of Din**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters: no money is made off this. This story and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

Misc: I forget if I've mentioned it here, but unless I add/remove chapters, Aceilux is looking to be at a (tentative) 19 chapters total in length. Thanks to Kinneas for helping me out on this chapter.

* * *

**The Hand of Din**

* * *

I was led up several winding bridges, up the spiral. There weren't any gates to keep the path secure, and the view down was dizzying. We'd gone up several levels, and my legs, already strained from the march to Snowhead, were starting to tingle when the guide stopped in front of a large wood door. The other Sheikah only nodded towards it, and left.

I pushed them open. The room was slightly larger than the one they'd given us, and more well-lit than the Queen's chambers back home. It didn't have any of the elegance either. It was modest, with the only luxury being a balcony that overlooked the city below. There were torchs, some relics that someone had deemed valuable enough to haul along each move. Against the wall there was a chair upon a small dias, flanked with animal skin tapestries. The chair was occuppied.

"Your Grace."

I knelt on the ground, palms flat on the ground, thumb to thumb, forefinger to forefinger. I didn't bow as low as protocol demanded, however.

I only did that for Her Highness.

There wasn't an immediate answer to the greeting. My eyes flicked up from the ground, although I didn't lift my head all the way back up.

Now that I had a chance to look, I was puzzled but what I saw. The figure on the throne had no face cover and wore the flowing skirts of the station, a tabard with the All-Seeing Eye stretching down past the knees. That in itself wasn't out of of the ordinary. The High Priestess was a dark brown, much tanner than I was, with white hair that fell around the shoulders like snow. And there were strange white markings that swirled all over, covering the arms and chest...

A completely flat, masculine chest.

The High Priestesses were always female. I'd heard that the current one was female.

Had I heard wrong?

But he(?) was wearing the sacred gauntlet - the Hand of Din - on his left hand: it represented a link to that very goddess. There was no question that this was the High Priestess.

There was a whisp of fabric. I jerked with surprise when he suddenly rose from the chair and knelt down in front of me. The High Priestess was close, so close it was dangerously to a kiss, breath fluttering on my cheek I hazarded a glance into his eyes. The irises were white, barely ringed around the edges with an unnatural blue, and seemed to stare past me. The hand not covered by the gauntlet was lifted, fingers tracing the rounded shape of my ear, memorizing the shape.

He was blind.

"Ah, one of our brothers from the Haunted Wastelands... are you the last of them?" the High Priestess asked. The voice was not that of a male, like I'd expected, but not completely female any more either. Somehow, the High Priestess had become both.

I nodded slowly, although I averted my eyes again.

"The few brothers and sisters that came from the Western Wastes told me of a decimated tribe in the desert. I had hoped it wasn't true."

The High Priestess rose finally, withdrawing her/his hand. She/he seated her/himself once again, crossing the mismatched arms on her/his lap. I sat back on my heels.

"You aren't here on the summons, are you?" she/he asked.

"No," a sudden realization struck me then. "...It was you. You called the rest of us back from Her Majesty's side."

The Priestess sighed. "Yes. I've disgraced them. But I had no choice. "

"Why?"

She/he spread both hands, as if to shrug. "It was Din's will."

A non-committal answer. I was already stepping far beyond my bounds just by questioning her/his order and it wasn't my place to do so. The High Priestess, in that one motion, made that clear. I wasn't going to be completely satisfied with that either, but there was no way Her/His Grace was going to tell me no matter how much I pressed the issue. I'd have to ask other questions then.

"The Ambria-Freians in the valley claim that you've killed their own. Without warning or explanation. Why? Are you intent on dragging our people into a war with them?"

It was more disrespectful than allowed, but I didn't care much at this point. The High Priestess shook her/his head.

"That was unfortunate. A mistake," she/he replied. "We thought that their party was infected with the plague and that they'd sent him up to infect the rest of us. The leader was displaying the cough and the pinkened eyes."

Our laws mandated than an Infected Sheikah could be put down without consequence. But the Ambria-Freians weren't Sheikah. They didn't know our laws. Nothing could excuse what they'd done to my people, but... they should've had a warning.

"When we realized our mistake, it was too late. They are set on wiping us out if they can," Her/His Grace continued. "We must kill in return, to defend ourselves. But we _will_ last them out up here."

I frowned, wondering at the wisdom of that last part. Up here, and especially with part of the trade road blocked, the Sheikah had far less access to trade and goods... while those in Ambria-Scoud had access to their farmlands and the other towns. If anyone was going to outlast the other, it would be Ambria-Scoud and the rest of that kingdom.

But my foremost concern was with the Queen and the mission she'd bestowed upon me. I couldn't get further involved in this, even though I very much liked the thought of going back to Ambria-Scoud and imbedding a knife into Brand's jugular...

"I'm sorry," I said.

She/he only waved it off, "Apologies won't get anyone anywhere. And you aren't here on my summons or because of the problem with our neighbors. The Sage of Wisdom must have business this far."

It was strange to hear Her Majesty still refered to as that. Habit on the High Priestess' part, most likely. I didn't know how good Her Grace's contacts were. Impa, along with the Queen, had established an impressive network of spies back during the Dark King's reign. I wasn't even going to guess how much the High Priestess a knew or didn't know.

So I told Her Grace about the prophecy and my orders to stop it. I told her/him about the Temple of the Sun and Faneer's instruction. The High Priestess sat very still, seeming to look off into space. But from her/his body language, I could tell that the High Priestess was listening and interpreting the prophcy.

When I finished, I found that those alien eyes were staring at me all of a sudden. I couldn't help but get the impression that while she/he couldn't see our world the way I did, she/he was seeing it on a different plane. I had to be careful.

"And you were told you would get the answers you seek here," she/he finished.

"Yes."

She/he rose and went to the balcony, motioning for me to do the same. The stone had been fashioned into crude railing, upon which the High Priestess rested her/his mismatched hands. I joined her/him.

Several levels down across from us, I could see Link teaching Tatl and Tael what had to be a Kokiri game. Other Sheikah were moving below us on some unnamed business. No one noticed us watching.

"The mortal races of Hyrule all ask the same questions," the High Priestess stared down with those white eyes of her/his, into the rushing black water far down below. " They want to know the _'whats_', the '_wheres_', the '_hows_', and the '_whos_'... but they never ask _why_ something or someone is, _ why_ things are they like they are, _why_ things are done that way. Just 'how' or 'when', 'what' is it..."

"It's not relevant," I said.

"But it is. The _'why_' is very often the most important question no one asks," the blind gaze turned to me. "Do you see what I'm getting at?"

I didn't.

She/he didn't say anything, just kept staring at me, clearly seeing something I was not. Uncomfortably, I looked back down to where Link was. He was gesturing animatedly, a large grin on his face. The children were laughing. A sudden pang of longing struck me, to be there next to him and not next to the Hand of Din as she/he all but searched my soul inside and out. But things had always been duty and business first for me. Even if I'd been offered the option, I would've turned it down.

The moment was over; the High Priestess turned away from the balcony and gave a loud snap. I started. Several attendants seemed to appear suddenly out of the walls. They weren't dressed like any of the other Sheikah: these ones wore strange plates that covered their eyes, marked with the All Seeing Eye, their lower faces half-exposed, and clad in white. They'd been standing so motionlessly that I'd mistaken them for statues.

The High Priestess waited until the last one filed out and shut the door after himself before she/he did the unthinkable. She/he removed the sacred gauntlet from her/his left arm, and set it aside.

I stared. Where Din's Hand had covered her/his arm, the skin was shriveled and withered with atrophy, skeletal and almost bone-white compared to the rest of her/his body. The High Priestess, sensing my reaction, swiftly hid the wounded arm under a sleeve.

"I want to show you something," she/he said.

* * *

We went down several levels towards the bottom of the spiral city. Despite the apparent blindness, the High Priestess never tripped or stumbled once.

We passed a squad of heavily armed guards: the most show of force I'd seen so far in the city-fortress. They carried vicious looking axes and halberds, swords strapped to their hips, and a curved throwing dagger to each of their right thighs. There were twelve stationed at this entrance, and two more standing against the inner walls of the stairwell. I could feel their eyes on us as we swept past.

What exactly was down here?

We paused near a door, over which iron bars had been laid and somehow welded shut. It looked like it was made of several feet of solid stone.

"This particular river runs down the Llambahden and empties out into a desert far from here, through these lower caverns," she/he pointed at the grating in the rock, through which the water sluiced, and then towards the door. "This area is off-limits."

I stepped closer to the blocked entryway, puzzled as to what necessitated such measures in security, when I caught the smell. The stench of death was emanating from beyond the door, stiflingly strong. I paled.

"There are Infected here..." I looked to the High Priestess, my mouth going dry with fear. "You let them live."

She/he looked down.

"Our laws have always been explicit on the matter: execution on sight to prevent any further spread," she/he said. "But they are a pitiful people. I only wish for the Infected to live their last moments with what dignity can be given to them, rather than hunted like animals. "

"You risk infecting the rest of the population," I pointed out.

"We are a dying race, _het'vahrar._ It's inevitable that we'll be going the way of the infected, if not immediately," she/he sighed.

"Your compassion's a weakness," was all I could say. The idea that even one of the infected - much less a number of them - was near was enough to send chills down my spine. A single touch from one of them was a death sentence: all it took was an exchange of body fluids... and that included the oil on their skin.

The High Priestess laughed softly. "Spoken like a true Sheikah. I have not been able to rid myself of that fatal flaw.. .but I've yet to see any Sheikah that has managed to be without some weakness. It's an impossible dream, and one must learn to accept that they will spend their lifetime never reaching it."

I didn't have an answer to that, just looked back the door that stood as the only barrier between us and certain death.

"Rest your fears. This is no secret from the others here and no one is allowed access in or out, as you saw on the way here," and she/he pointed with the mangled hand towards a tunnel, nearly hidden from sight by one of the rock formations. "This wasn't what I needed to show you. There's little time."

* * *

We continued walking. The path had leveled out now that we were at the bottom, the sound of roaring water echoing throughout the passageways. We crossed a stone bridge. There were two more flights of stairs, and then nothing. We stopped at a dead end. The path had dropped us off in front of a large wall. The majority of its surfacewas taken up by a stone tablet that was nearly two stories in height. It was in the same style as those in the Temple of the Sun: different scenes flowing into each other on a single surface. It looked chaotic at first, almost violent. Other than the tablet, there was nothing else here.

The High Priestess gestured towards the wall. "This was a gift from Faneer to one of the Priestesses before me, back when he still cared about the outside world."

She/he beckoned me closer. With the uninjured hand, she/he pointed out a particular scene nestled amongst the others: it showed an imposing man wearing a skull head-dress of a large boar, with an army of thousands behind him. At his feet, bowing to their master, were two immense dogs. The next section had them mauling several masked people, and moving through the panels, ripping more to shreds. Their victims varied; many were masked and cloaked, while others appeared to be normal people and soldiers. But the two groups were seperated, never mingling, by a ray of light. This divider was broken several times to show the dogs crossing them to each group. Jumping back and forth...

"This is what I wanted you to see," the High Priestess started. She/he was staring at the wall, almost as if she/he were reliving it. A hand traced out parts of the wall as she spoke, following along. "Long ago, during the Great War when Ganon was alive and not merely a spirit, he was given two pets: a gift from a loyal servant. They were hell hounds, brothers; one called Makimah, the other called Kimaki. During Ganon's rise to power, they were responsible for the deaths of many," she/he fell silent for a second. "The Sages - the ones that had survived - managed to trap and seal them both within Taldahroth."

"The City of the Damned?" The place was hovering that line between reality and nearly forgotten as myth. I'd only last heard of it as an abandoned Garo stronghold that the Dark King had failed to claim.

The High Priestess nodded, stared thoughtfully at the tablets. I waited for her/him to continue.

"They are dimension jumpers. This is what your Queen saw," the High Priestess finally said. "They can easily move from this world to the Sacred Realm and back: this threatens the safety of the Sages and the Queen. If Makimah and Kimaki should manage as so much a step beyond Taldahroth's boundaries, they will be able to make their jump for their first targets. Should that happen, there will be no way to save them."

"They would come after you as well afterwards, wouldn't they?"

"You're just as keen-sighted as they say," and she/he gave a small nod. "I would have stepped forward to try to save the Sages regardless, but... I do fear for myself as well. Ganon's orders to Makimah and Kimaki had been to hunt down those that opposed him the most. They would continue from where they last left off."

Something wasn't right. About these entire situation.

"Why has the seal weakened now?" I asked. "The Sages' powers don't just crumble over time. Not without reason."

"I don't know," there was only honesty in her/his voice and face. Despite her connection to Din, she/he was in the dark about this and the uneasiness practically reeked off the High Priestess. After that, she/he didn't say anything for several long minutes, just studying the wall thoughtfully.

She/he was nearly as hard to read as Impa was at times. I shifted my weight, uncertain if I had been dismissed or not. For all I knew, it was a cue that it was over; my question had been answered. I was about to take my leave when the High Priestess suddenly spoke, her/his question seemingly out of the blue.

"Do you know of where the Betrayal took place?" She asked.

The Great Betrayal. Years before my time, but even I knew the story well enough, "It took place in the Region of the Wind's Road. The Royal Family sent our ancestors ahead to hold the Pass, promising to back them up. But they didn't. The Hylian Army hung back while we were slaughtered by Ganon's forces."

"And it was only after our brethren weakened and drove the first waves back when the Royal Family's army stepped in to attack the retreating mass," the High Priestess had a far away look in her/his eye as she/he continued where I had trailed off. "They stepped over our dying in their pursuit. It was an assured victory then. A resoundingly successful campaign."

I watched her/his face, wondering why she/he had asked. It was common knowledge to any Sheikah and the very reason that our sign - the All-Seeing Eye - bore a bloody tear coming from it from then on. I had mentioned it briefly to Link years ago, but I hadn't thought about it since.

The Hand of Din blinked and the distant look was gone. She/he turned to me. "I'm asking you this because the Pass of Tahlr-Hadras may be important to you. I pray that you won't need it."

"What do you mean?"

"One of the our shamans, as he lay dying, wanted to still save Hyrule. He performed a blood curse on the Pass."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Those're forbidden."

"Yes, and he condemned himself to an eternity in hell for it. But it helped ensure that even Ganondorf was unable to rally more troops from outside of central Hyrule recently. The few Sheikah that survived the Betrayal back then left a warning in the Pass about the blood curse, in the form of a pillar," the High Priestess was speaking now with an urgency that made me uneasy. "You must listen to it carefully. Commit it to memory."

The Sheikah she spoke next was archaic, foreign-sounding, barely intelligible at first. I could only get a rough gist of what she said. What I understood disturbed me.

_"Abarashou shii, weianto maseanu wo..._  
_ doshte, a-nu._  
_ Abarasha shen, furueru wahr ajaa Leen._  
_ soshte e, tellaan feeyaht._  
_ N-da nai, antayen, yo rinlaii._

_ N-dahn lim, n-dahn sietya._  
_ Trrya, Yeenya, Felnya._  
_ Zho, abdah-nai."  
_

"Remember these words,_ het'vahrar_... and _take the Pass back_ if something seems amiss."

I stared her/him in the face for the first time, forcing myself to meet the High Priestess' eyes. I had the sudden, unshakeable feeling that the other Sheikah had done something she/he wasn't supposed to, but against who and why, I couldn't be sure.

"I don't understand why I would need to know this."

The High Priestess wouldn't meet my gaze. "I apologize, but I no longer have any more time to spare you. I have others I must attend to. We must return.."

* * *

I returned to our shared room feeling somewhat disgruntled. The High Priestess'd given me answers but had opened up even more questions in the process. I couldn't place it but there was the strange feeling that something I couldn't quite put a name to was shifting around us. Something far less tangible than swords and traps and faces. It was something I couldn't see with my own eyes, but whatever it was, it had a hand in the way things were playing out. That uncertain feeling had been at the back of my mind ever since I left the castle, and only grew worse as I drew closer to the end.

Had the seal actually weakened? Or had someone tampered with it?

To my disappointment, Link wasn't there. He probably wasn't able to extricate himself from Tael and Tatl's clutches. I could only imagine the questions he was being bombarded with.

Even if Link was willing to lend an ear, I doubted he could help with this. Out of the two of us, I knew far more about the seals and barriers on the temples. What Link knew was the traps and evils inside of them, but even back then, he hadn't been aware of the wards preventing most people from entering them until I'd pointed them out.

* * *

Someone had dropped off new weapons for me while I was gone. I was sharpening them when Link returned, with a knock. He came in looking worn out, but there was definitely more color to his cheeks than before, although part of it might've been from over-heating. He hadn't had a chance to remove the coat yet. From the looks of it, Tael and Tatl must've run him all over the city.

"Aveil said you were in here," Link said. He was looking at the short sword next to me on the bed and the one across my lap. "Where'd you get those?

"One of the others probably left it for me. They might've repaired your equipment as well. Did you check your room yet?"

"Nope, not yet." Link turned, and began stripping off the heavy overcoat, head bowed as he undid the clasps one by one. I watched his shoulders shift as he worked. Neither of us spoke for a few moments, the quiet that hung between us broken only by the sound of the clasps and shifting fabric and rough slide of stone on metal.

This was just like Ambria-Scoud. The familiarity was potentially dangerous. I didn't want either of us getting too comfortable here. It might be a small break, but I still had a orders to carry out.

"I know what this 'darkness from the east" is now," I said.

Link paused, hand stilling in the process of removing the Ambria-Freian overcoat. "You do?"

"Hell hounds."

The coat was dropped unceremoniously into a pile that was half on the chair and half on the floor. Link stretched.

"Never heard of that," he replied. "Did she say what it was?"

I hadn't exactly seen one in person either or heard of them, other than the images on that wall below Ephell. But I doubted Faneer would outright lie in the duty that the Three bestowed upon them. I hadn't missed that hint of fear in the High Priestess' voice either. The hell hounds were very real.

"The Priestess mentioned something about dimension-jumping." I answered.Their past nor their master didn't seem as relevant at the moment. Better to keep it simple. "We have to make sure they don't step foot outside of where they're confined."

I trailed off, distracted. Link had just worked out the kink in a shoulder. I couldn't stop myself from staring: the movement had been surprisingly graceful, almost liquid.

At the pause, Link turned, cocked his head at me. He'd caught me staring, but decided to let it go with a small grin, instead choosing to change the subject.

"What're you gonna to do after we take these things out?" Link asked.

"That's if we get back," I pointed out. "There's never a guarantee of survival. You know that."

He grumbled something. I could've sworn I caught the words "taking", "fun" and "of it". I rolled my eyes a little. This optimism couldn't last forever. Maybe Link had gotten so far with it just fine, but he was only going to hurt himself if he didn't get more realistic about it. It was inevitable, and I didn't want to see it happen to him.

"Don't look too much into the future. It's only going to lead to disappointment one day, " I added.

I didn't see why he liked to talk about hypothetical "ifs" so much. I'd always seen it as placing too much hope on the future. What mattered was what happened now, and being realistic about it.

The only thing I absolutely had to do for her Highness was put a stop to the prophecy. She hadn't said it expressly, but we both understood the part of the order not spoken: I'd stop it, even if it cost me my life in the process.

There was just a heavy silence. Link was studying me. He drew close. For a moment, I thought he was going to sit on the bed - we'd climbed through a good portion of the Snowden with very little rest.

Instead, I was surprised to find Link's lips on mine.

There was a possibility that right now would be the only chance to do this. I had enough to deal with outside and watching our backs that anything else was out of the question. But there wasn't any threat here or fear of being discovered.

The slight delay in a response from me had Link starting to pull away, doubt making him suddenly uncertain of the impulsive move. I buried my fingers into his tunic and pulled him back before he could give up and walk off. I just barely had the presence of mind to drop the blades to the side of the bed.

I hadn't exactly gone extremely far either, but as it stood now, I'd still had far more experience than Link in the matter, period. I took the lead, my hand lingering over a covered nipple, before slowly ghosting downwards, towards his stomach. He let out a soft gasp.

Link was still standing, which could make things awkward for both of us. We'd both suffered enough injuries just to get this far, and there wasn't any point in disrupting the healing process. It didn't take much to get him to move, just leaning back slowly while denying him the contact he kept trying to get. I don't think Link even realized that he'd changed positions just to keep in contact with my mouth until he'd knelt on the bed, half over me. When he did, he took one look around, then back at me, and shook his head. There wasn't any stopping the small, amused grin on his face.

" 'Distract the target with one thing...use that moment of weakness to get to your goal?' " he whispered.

Even after all these years, he hadn't forgotten that lesson I tried to give him on stealth. The lesson hadn't ever seemed to sink in though and I'd given up trying any further with him on it.

I didn't get a chance to reply, other than a small, uneven chuckle: Link closed the centimeters between our mouths, and this time I let him. That thrill I got at just the contact was electric. It also wasn't enough. I greedily deepened the kiss, sliding my tongue past his lips.

Link was proving himself a quick learner, following where I was leading him for now, but also getting the courage to take his own initiative. He might not've had any of the experience I possessed, but he knew what felt right and what he liked. And he definitely made up for the lack of experience with sheer enthusiasm.

Link's hand had suddenly slid down and was cupping the growing bulge between my legs, tightening and slackening, rubbing and gripping, as our kisses grew harder, more hungry, my hips begin to jerk forward to meet his hand. Every now and then I could feel an answering hardness pressed against my hip.

The next several minutes was a blur, just heat and skin sliding over skin and pressure right where I needed it most, even when I was doing my damndest to find out just what sounds I could pull out of him were. He was plunging on ahead and I'd be damned if I was going to let him all the work.

... I might've bitten him in the process. Judging from the strangled groan, he didn't entirely mind that either.

It was a miracle in itself, but I somehow managed to pull off most of my clothes. Link couldn't seem to keep his hands or eyes off, even as he hurriedly started working on the belt around his waist.

I stared, a hand stroking my erection. Physically, Link seemed completely untouched by those years he'd spent unconscious: as fit as he'd been during the Dark Years, no sign of the years or lack of activity taking its toll. It didn't seem natural.

But Link had always treaded that line before.

That train of thought was very quickly dropped. Link's eyes, the irises black in the bad light, had fastened on where my hands had gone to work , and he choked back a moan.

_...Don't..._

I stiffened ever so slightly at the feeling. It wasn't even words, just this sense that I shouldn't be doing this. Not that it was outright wrong either, only that it had to do with something I'd never expected to question in Link's company; my safety.

Clearly the years had caught up to me, instead of Link. All the time spent watching over my shoulder for most of my life was finally having its effect. It was unacceptable. There were very few I trusted, and I wasn't about to have that number diminish even further, and not over some unfounded hesitation.

I ignored it, chosing instead to pull Link back down. He was taking too long - and how much of that was on purpose? - and I much preferred having him pressed against me. I'd solve the problem of the clothes soon.

Well, after Link finished what he was doing.

That strange feeling was creeping through the haze of arousal and actually starting to nag. It was irritating enough that it actually started distracting me, even as I pulled my legs up around him. Link was breathing hard against my neck, and every now and then, I'd feel his lips and occassional teeth grazing against my jaw. I closed my eyes, tried to shut out that distraction.

_...Stop..._

It didn't work. And I wasn't going to dismiss it that easily.

I was saved from making the choice that instinct told me I had to, but my mind and body most certainly didn't. There was a sharp knock on the door. Link paused, his breath warm against my mouth, hips crushed against mine, my hands in the process of just starting to pull his leggings down.

His eyes, half-shadowed by the dim room, flicked back to me as if expecting me to help him decide whether or not to answer it.

I only gave a shrug. A small part of me was hoping he'd ignore it.

Link actually managed a breathless laugh at the expression on my face before he slowly lifted himself off me. The effort it took for him to do it was clearly a massive one. He was already straightening himself out, brushing his hair and clothes back into place, and taking some very deep breaths to try and calm himself down. There was another knock, this time a little impatient.

Link shot me a look that was both one of regret and an apology before he pushed open the curtains to the landing. I heard the door open. The curtain blocked whoever the messenger was, but it only muffled sound just barely.

The messenger's Hylian was almost flawless. "The High Priestess has requested your presence--"

I didn't hear Link's answer, but I didn't need to. He and I were alike in a good number of ways, and he placed duty before anything else. The door closing only confirmed it. I hadn't expected anything different.

I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly irritated at myself. If that messenger hadn't shown up, what then? Instinct had served me well in the past, but I was pretty sure there was no (good) reason for it to rear up now. There weren't any enemies around, no danger as long as we were here. It was when we left Ephell that we'd be in danger again.

_Instinct or is it just paranoia and doubt?_

I'd been hit hard once before during the Dark Years, all because I'd dropped my guard. I hadn't lied when I briefly told Link about being ambushed while scouting. The two incidents were connected, and I was damned lucky to have come away with just a whip scar. I easily could've been killed...

But Link was different, and I wasn't about to have the same thing happen to me with him. There was no reason for this sudden doubt.

With a vicious curse, I propped myself up on my elbows, one of my hands sliding down past my stomach...

* * *

I only saw glimpses of Link after that. He visited the High Priestess a lot and seemed too drained to do anything beyond eat and sleep when he came back. I didn't ask him what they talked about. If the High Priestess had wanted it to be my business, I would've been invited.

I settled on occupying myself with helping the others around the city, or going on the few scouting parties or entertaining the children. I had to fend off Kafei several times. He was dead-set on making it a personal mission to convince me to remain here, about how I should take a cue from the Sages and that the vows meant nothing...

I tuned it out. I already had what I needed and I wanted to leave already. It was just a matter of waiting for Link to finish.

* * *

Several days passed before Link was ready. Anju'd seen to it that we had our supplies restocked. Link made sure to say goodbye to the twins, but other than that, we headed out without a farewell. The other Sheikah were too involved in the business with Ambria-Scoud and we were too busy with the mission to be of any help.

The High Priestess'd sent me directions earlier to the exit that would let us out closest to our destination. The instructions as to how to get to the Damned City were vague at best: she hadn't ever been there herself, and neither had any of the Sheikah in the city. I had the feeling that she somehow knew I was going to be relying on Link to help pinpoint it.

Although the exit wasn't near any of the main paths, it wasn't too hard to get there, but as it we got there, we found that leaving wasn't going to be so easy. Our way was blocked. Our way had closed down to a long tunnel and Kafei was standing near the end of it, looking more like a concrite child than a Sheikah warrior.

"I can't let you go," he called out as we approached.

I stared at the other Sheikah. My eyes narrowed. "Step aside, Kafei."

He shook his head furiously. Whatever composure he'd built up for this confrontation was very quickly draining. "No. I won't. You don't see it, do you? How can you continue to serve that woman?!"

My jaw clenched and I knew my face had darkened, a hand twitching involuntarily towards one of my daggers, as if wanting more than anything to silence him. I managed to stop it in time, and instead fixed him with a particularly brutal glare that clearly told him that he was pushing my limits. "_Kafei_..."

He ignored the warning in my voice and hurried on, "How can you be so_ blind_? Can't you see she's ruining the land! Can't you see that she's dragging everyone down?! The woman is a menace. I won't let you do it!"

My hand now landed on the hilt of the daggers, a very clear threat, my jaw tightening even further.

"Her Highness is doing her best in these hard times. And I intend to be there for her as I have before." I said slowly, coldly. "Unlike you."

Kafei flinched, but didn't move. I took a step forward and glared down at him. "I don't need to answer to the likes of you - you wear that face cover when you no longer have a right to keep it on," I continued. "You're nothing but a traitor as far as I'm concerned. A deserter who turned tail and left Her. No better than an exile."

He said nothing, looking away, face paling. I'd hit some nerves. Link was looking from me to him and back, a look of concern and confusion his face.

I took a step forward. "Now step aside. Don't make me ask again. "

He looked up, meeting my stare and shook his head furiously. My hand tightened on the dagger hilt, ready to just run this obstacle through if it came to it and be on my way...

And I paused at this thought, stilling.

_"An obstacle"_...

Was that what it was coming down to? That this boy'd become nothing more than an object in the way, instead of a kinsman (no matter how dishonored). That I was willing to forget the laws of our people? Had it ceased to mean so little to me?

Link was right. I'd changed and not for the better. A shiver went through me, a chill of quiet horror and shame at what I'd nearly done, and I hurriedly dropped my hand from the weapon.

"Kafei."

He stiffened at the sound and was on the ground immediately, bowing, averting his face. I glanced back down the passage at the source of the voice. The High Priestess - for once rid of her/his guards- was walking slowly towards us. The gauntlet was back on her/his arm. Link was openly staring, as Her Grace came to a stop in front of the prostrate boy.

"Rise, Kafei, and look at me," She/He commanded. Reluctantly he did so, a flash of fear going across his face at the last part of the command, knowing that this was rarely ever asked.

"Do not impede them," She/He said softly.

Kafei started to protest but the High Priestess gave him a Glance. "I've given them permission to pass through the rest of the Llambadehn mountains unmolested," she/he added firmly.

His frown deepened, unhappily. She/he turned to us and a smile graced his/her face, though for a moment it seemed uneasy. "They have my blessings on their mission. Both of them."

Kafei's mouth flew shut. He was staring, confused now, at the High Priestess. I ignored him and bowed low. "Thank you, Your Grace."

The moment of uncertainty in the High Priestess was gone and the smile slowly faded: she/he caught my gaze and held it. "It is Din's wish that you continue and succeed in your mission. Do not disappoint her."

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

**Completed:** 6/12/07

Feedback etc is always appreciated.


	15. Into the Valley of Ashes

**Into the Valley of Ashes**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters, Nintendo does: no money is made off this. This story and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

Misc: A reviewer asked if I got the dimension jumping from TP. My answer to that would be: Nope. I had the hell hounds in mind when I first started this fic.

* * *

**Into the Valley of Ashes**

* * *

It happened quickly, enough that even I was surprised by it. We'd been talking over the directions the High Priestess had passed onto us before we'd left. They'd been only to the Valley of Ashes, but that was no small area in itself...

At some point, Link had leaned over and pressed his mouth against mine, startling me. This wasn't really the time or place for this, but then again...when had it ever been a good time? A time of absolute peace was rare, and the chances for this were dwindling down to none as we drew closer. Link had apparently just realized that.

I wasn't going to argue with it.

His mouth was hot, wonderfully so, even as I pushed him down to the ground, straddling him. My hand slid down to grip him. There wasn't any missing the growing erection. I deliberately brushed against him, and the gasp that came from that was enough to send a flood of heat right down past my stomach.

I wasn't one for wasting precious time, and brushed his hands away as he tried to help me out of my clothes. It would've taken too long, and it was faster if I did it. Link, catching the message, hurriedly rid himself of his own clothes, before pulling me back down on top of him, mouth going to taste and nip at my neck.

I shivered at the graze of teeth every now and then.

Link suddenly shifted, putting me underneath him. I stiffened: my body had interpreted the change as a combat move that had me vulnerable, and I had to quell the automatic response to use one of the lethal, defensive methods (a sharp knee up into the stomach, followed by a knife stab while he was winded) to remove such a threat.

He caught the tension, and froze, suddenly cautious. Link knew well enough that I could kill him in a number of ways, even without a weapon. Even if we trusted each other, he wasn't about to risk what was a reflex. Our eyes met.

After a moment, I nodded, the urge passing for something more urgent.

Link relaxed, and continued his exploration of my body. He seemed torn as to where he was staring at, there, or the face that I'd kept hidden for so long.

He wasn't too certain what to do after that, as this was a first for both of us. I only knew from what I'd heard from talk, but it was better than nothing. It was hard to think straight, but I managed to gasp out what he had to do.

Link was slowly, and carefully trying to follow my instructions to the letter, even if it clearly pained him to wait. I was starting to get impatient, and pulled him back up, shifting my hips up. I was so hard it hurt, and I was done waiting.

It hurt, at first. I tried to hide the grimace, the only outward sign of it being a clenched jaw. My fists were clenched. But I'd taken worse in terms of pain before. It was just a matter of tolerating it.

Link pushed in slowly. For several long moments, we lay there, panting. I was pushing down the reaction to the discomfort, Link was trying to resist the urge to move.

I was breathing hard, but it was just an ache now, and it was not nearly as attention grabbing now. Link was far more distracting.

There wasn't any more patience left in me after that. I jerked my hips against his. Taken by surprise, Link groaned, clutching at me as he gave an instinct, hard thrust that sent a blossom of pleasure through me as he brushed against something. It was more natural after that, as we settled into each other's rhythm. Our bodies moved, almost as one, my fingers digging into his hips as I forced him to go even faster, my eyes closed as he pressed his lips to mine...

I was suddenly choking into his mouth. My eyes opened, confused, and only after I saw the glint of the blade in his hands did it register what just happened.

Link had just slit my throat.

He'd broken the kiss off, and was leaning close as I struggled to breathe past the blood filling my throat and mouth, face blank as he watched...

I jerked awake, eyes snapping open. I was sweating, breathing hard through a throat that I could've sworn had been cut open. It wasn't.

Link must've heard the sudden motion, because he turned back to look at me from where he sat watch at the cave entrance. His eyes seemed to glow, a trick of light and reflection from the moon. He wasn't anywhere near me and there wasn't even a weapon in his hands, much less blood. Unlike the dream, his face thankfully wasn't empty of emotion either.

"What's wrong?" Link asked, concerned.

I took a moment to give a chance for my heart to stop beating so fast.

"It's nothing," I said. "Just a bad dream."

I rose, and motioned for him to move.

"I'll stand watch. Get some rest."

Link didn't protest like I thought he would, but I was glad that he didn't. I needed time to think alone.

I settled down in Link's place, scanning the lands outside of the cave. Even if the winds were picking up outside, it sounded muffled in here. Unlike the Snowden, it was warm - Link had even ditched that Ambria-Freian coat of his and I'd already made good to burn mine - but that didn't mean it was any safer here. The gusts of winds here at night seemed strong enough to rip skin from bones.

I glowered, suddenly irritated but not at the change of scenery.

This was all the High Priestess' fault for instilling that seed of doubt. Some of my questions may have been answered, but now I very much regretted staying any longer to listen to her/him. I didn't even know why I'd even done so: I'd already gotten what I needed out of the Priestess, and anything else hadn't been relevant to what I needed to get done.

Was this an attempt to run the Queen's mission into the ground? By playing us off each other? I didn't know what the Priestess had said to Link, but for all I knew, it could easily be something similar.

I couldn't tell what she/he was playing at, only that there was the feeling this move wasn't any accident on their part.

I cursed.

* * *

The road out of Ephell and the Snowden had dropped us right into a trader's outpost. A neutral one, thankfully: for once the more mercenary attitudes of merchants was something to be grateful for. Rupees spoke far more than allegiance, and out here, a little extra job on the side went a long way.

I'd managed to shave off several days by convincing a trader to give us a ride to the border of the Valley of Ashes. The cost wasn't cheap. I'd had to pay him the last of the rupees I had, but I doubted we'd need it anymore. If we survived, I could catch something, if we didn't... then it wouldn't matter.

The caves I'd stationed us in for the night were part of the Harma-dehn, an offshoot of the Snowden that was a natural border of the Valley of Ashes. The weather here seemed to consist of violent storms that whipped the perptual black ash around, and the occassional lull. There wasn't any sign of any animals or vegetation, but then again, it wasn't surprising considering how inhospitable the living conditions were. It was luck that Link found the caves.

That same luck would hopefully hold out.

I'd heard that Tahdaroth was situated in a larger, unnatural crater. Whatever drove the Garo out of the city had also sunk the plateau into the ground. Seeing it from afar hadn't been a problem, even from the borders. What was the problem was the fact that I couldn't see any more caves between where we were and the crater.

The only shelter would be at our destination. We were going to have to pick the pace up even more and make it to the City of the Damned in one day.

* * *

_We didn't talk much on the way there. Link was focused on keeping a cloth pressed over his face to keep out most of the wind and pushing towards Tahldaroth._

_I couldn't stop thinking about that dream. Memories of most dreams tended to fade the moment a person woke, but this one was stubbornly remaining behind, and remaining awfully clear. It was hard to look at him and _not_ see that image._

* * *

It was almost evening when we arrived at the outskirts of the City of the Damned.

It had the look of a place abandoned for several thousand years. There weren't any remains in the streets, just silent, cracked buildings and alleyways and twisted architecture. There was rotting weaponry and pottery littered all over the place, some of which was probably very valuable. Everything was covered in black ash, some of which was kicked up for the first time in years as we passed. Link sneezed.

Whatever had gone through here had managed to disintingrate the Garo that hadn't fled in time, but left everything else intact. The only hint that I could see of what the Garo population must've been like at some point was the size of the city itself. This single event had started them down the same path that my people were going down.

We continued deeper into Tahldaroth. The roads were all sliding downwards, towards the very center of the crater. I could see a massive building at the place where they all met. It couldn't be an accident that it had to be the very center of the blast that affected this place. As we approached it, I could see that parts of it had collapsed, closing off some of the entrances from the other directions. The rest was relatively intact.

It was here that we halted. The wind didn't seem so bad at this level, and my eyes stung a little less. Link was staring up at the building we'd stopped in front of.

"My head doesn't hurt anymore," Link almost sounded excited. Likely at the prospect at getting to our goal. I couldn't share the same enthusiasm. "It has to be in here somewhere."

I studied the place. It was the largest I'd seen so far in the city, more ornate and far more forbidding than the others. Not nearly as large as the Library at O-kerth, but almost as large as the Royal Palace back in central Hyrule. Whoever was behind the architecture had far less polish than the others though.

There was an inscription cut over the main doorway to the city's center building. It wasn't Hylian, but it was still somehow very familiar. The Garo shared roots with us, and their language was a very heavily modified form of ancient Sheikah, even if it was far more abrupt and simplistic than I was used to. But I could still understand the basic meaning behind it.

_"Breihn Kuon Mea, Aigah Aiphos, Mea-n Suuk Briehn."_

"Is it a warning?" asked Link.

I shook my head: this one wasn't, at least.

"Just a Garo saying: "_The Truth Enlightens Me and My Only Light is the Truth_'," I translated.

The doors creaked in answer: if it hadn't already hung on its hinges, those words would very likely have opened it. There was the murmur of a single being, male and ancient and withered and probably long dead by now. It echoed out of the entrance, as if coming from the walls itself. It was speaking in several languages at once, even Zora, but the Hylian and Sheikah seemed the clearest and loudest to me. I glanced over at Link: he'd seemed to understand the voice as well, his head cocked to listen.

_**:Enter the Path to the Hall of Nayru.:**_

There was a long flight of stairs downwards. I lead the way: I had better night vision than Link, and I wasn't as burdened with the weight he carried. I tested each step carefully, making sure it could bear weight before I moved on.

I was able to relax a little around Link now, although it was hard to look him in the eyes still. Even if the dream was startlingly clear, it was still a dream...

We'd gone down at least a story when Link spoke.

"I didn't know that the Three were spread out this far," he said. "Didn't expect to hear something named after Nayru."

I reached back and gave his hand a brief squeeze before I let go, indicating that the next step was weak. He stepped down over it. We moved on.

"I wouldn't read too much into it. The Nayru they believe in isn't quite the same as ours," I answered after another pause.

"I guess," Link sounded doubtful. Then again, most of his exposure to other races had been within central Hyrule, and he hadn't had much time to get closer to them. Not when he had his own duties to carry out. I think he'd just assumed we'd generally believed the same thing: even the Black King. "You know... for some reason, this place reminds me of your people."

I couldn't quite see _that _much of a resemblance myself outside of the language, but then again, I was biased on that matter. I didn't care much for the Garo.

"They were once a part of my people thousands of years ago." I said. Or that's what I'd heard. They were so changed now that it was hard to believe that we were even related at some point. I'd seen one minus the disguise and mask once, and he hadn't even looked human. "But they split off from us."

Link took that in. "So are they on our side?"

He was putting it into too much of a matter of black and white, but perhaps that was how he'd always seen things before. I shook my head.

"'_Side_' is a matter of perspective. The Garo have their own beliefs," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"They believe that they follow the Truth through the darkness, where it can be untainted by outside influences. It doesn't always coincide with what's best for Hyrule." I explained. "I know that they've been seen in the service of the Black King, years ago. His reign must have served their own interests."

Link started at that, as if remembering something suddenly.

"I... might've seen one, I think. In the market place. It was obsessed with collecting poes," he said. "It actually wanted to buy them off me. It was saying how good Ganondorf was for business."

That did sound like one. Even the most corruptable Hylians at the time weren't nearly as enterprising, nor enjoyed it as much as a Garo could.

"That was probably the most neutral one you're ever going to run into then..." I trailed off. We'd come out into a narrow pathway, with an open door at the other end. It was lighter here, lit from some unknown source that gave it the impression of torches, even if those torches couldn't have lasted this long.

Nothing more than a few memories that lingered in this place. Despite this, there was still a fine film of ash all over the place, but not enough to completely obscure the flooring. Most of the ground was covered in tiles: some bore a circular carving with a dot in the middle, others bore a circle with a line cutting through it. There didn't seem to be any pattern to how they were laid out.

The voice sounded again:

**_:Only one who walks with eyes closed may proceed, for they have learned to see the truth.:_**

**_:Those who live with eyes open to nothing but falsehoods must learn to die with them open._:  
**  
I glanced at Link, who shrugged. We'd both heard chanting from the temples - he from the ones before, while I'd heard faint echoes of it in the Temple of the Sun - but there hadn't been anything too important about them. Likely the voices of spirits that drifted around the building and nothing more.

Still...

I hesitated. Link moved forward.

The words suddenly made sense: this set was a warning--

"_Wait_--!" I started. Link already had taken a step forward, onto the tiles. There was a slight whirring sound.

I lunged forward, knocking him to the side and against the wall, the wind crushed out of him in a huff. Behind us there was a shrill whistle, a rush of air at my back, followed by the clang of metal. I let out the gasp I hadn't realized I'd been holding in.

I had Link half crushed against the wall. I lifted off him slightly - careful not to touch the main pathway - as I looked back. His head turned as well, awkwardly.

Where he'd stood before, a large axehead mounted on a steel rod had snapped out from the ground, quivering a little as it stopped. There was old blood caked on it, some of which fell off in flakes as the blade stilled. As we watched, the device sank soundlessly back into the cracks between the floor tiling, vanishing. The hallway was deceptively clear again.

If I hadn't pushed Link out of the way, it would've cleaved him from the ribcage and down, disemboweling him completely.

Link was staring at it with wide eyes.

"The traps in the temples were a little more obvious..." he said. He sounded shaken.

"The Garo didn't have a hand in building any of the temples: the temples were made to deter anyone who got it at first, not kill them immediately." I answered. "One doesn't usually go trapping a city."

I hadn't expected this either. The Sages had sealed the Hell Hounds here, but these weren't the kind of traps they would ever make: from what Link told me before, it usually wasn't this deadly at the very entrance. These were clearly Garo design, and very old. But if what the earlier Sages had sealed here was so dangerous, it _did _make perfect sense to capitilize on these traps and the atmosphere of the place to keep intruders out.

What _didn't_ make sense was something that was missing: there wasn't a single sign that someone'd even come this way before us recently. There should've been at least a few left behind if someone had entered to weaken the seal somehow, no matter how good they were at covering their tracks. No one could be that perfect...

And yet there wasn't anything. From the looks of it, we were the first. And that bothered me far more than the traps itself.

"Which tile did you step on?" I asked.

Link studied the tiles for a second. A finger pointed towards one of the very first ones, which bore the circular design with a dot in the center.

I crouched near the floor's beginning. Link moved out of the way as I looked down at the ground, stepping back into the shadows behind me. The move didn't seem necessary: he was already out of range of the traps by now.

_/He probably wants to make sure I have enough light. /_

My gaze was back on the floor.

"Those with eyes open to falsehoods must learn to die with them open..." I repeated. I groped around behind us through some of the trash littering the entry, and came up with a broken spear handle. It was long enough that it'd do its job. I turned back to the floor.

"Only one who walks with eyes closed..."

With the broken spear, I tested the closest tile, this one with the line going through the circle's center. Nothing happened. I shifted the spear shaft so that it hovered over the first tile Link had pointed out, the one with the dot. I took one last glance around to make sure we were out of range, then pressed down. The axhead came snapping out, the air hissing as it cut through. I just barely managed to release the staff in time.

"Closed eyes and opened ones." Link's voice came from over my shoulder. I rose.

"I'll go first."

Link didn't argue on that. Playing scout was one of my primary abilities, and even if he didn't like the thought of me walking into this first - and he didn't, judging from the frown - he couldn't do anything beyond accept it.

I took a first step onto the one tile I cleared. Looked around for the next closest one and made the careful move towards it, over a small little river of incorrect tiles that spelled out a guaranteed dismemberment if I missed.

The ashes on the ground worked to our advantage though. I made sure to brush it off each correct tile I stepped on so that Link could see each one clearly. Now that I knew what I was looking for it,

I made sure not to let a single part of my foot graze the other tiles though. These traps seemed surprisingly sensitive so far, and it might take only the faintest pressure to set one off. The trap, even if we had the solution, was still tricky: there were at least double the amount of trapped tiles over the untrapped ones.

Link was taking special care to follow my example: not nearly as easy for him considering the shield and boots, but for once he didn't rush it.

* * *

No sooner had Link joined me did the whispering return:

_**:Enter the final cloister before the Hall of Nayru.:**_

We'd emerged into a small landing between the rooms. Ahead of us was an archway. It lead to another room: It was a hall, but wider than the previous one and longer. It was darker as well, with ragged black curtains fluttering in a breeze that neither of us could feel. It seemed more like a waiting room, with the wreckage of pews and chairs scattered around. The candle holders were rusted, so old that the remains of the candles themselves had long vanished, with the metal starting to follow after. Any of the decorations that might've been here had either rotted away or been taken by the Garo when they abandoned the place.

The voice spoke again:

**:Only an enlightened being is aware of dangers from all sides.:**

**:Those who only see that before them, will not see their death's arrival.:  
**

Link didn't move forward this time, instead remaining at the doorway: he'd learned from the previous room. His first impulse after the warning was to immediately look up. I blinked, the move distracting me from the scan I'd started of the room. He caught the look, gave a grin that was still weak from the close encounter just minutes ago.

"Old trick I learned from the shrines way back: if all else fails, look up," explained Link. "You wouldn't believe what hides in the ceilings."

He pointed up. Folded up in a set of grooves within the ceiling were several more blades, these on pendulums.

Sound advice.

Satisfied with his scan of the ceiling, Link tilted his head back, studying the room. I looked down at the floor again. I couldn't see any of the tiles from the previous hallway here. I didn't see much of anything that would give more of a hint, just the wreckage and--

"I don't like those," I remarked suddenly. I jerked a head towards the softly billowing curtains.

"Neither do I."

Link was the closest to one of the curtains. He drew out his sword and hefted it. I nodded. I watched as he brought the blade close to the wall covering. Very carefully, he reached out with the flat of his sword, and lifted a a corner portion of the curtain. Link was careful not to cut it or lift too much.

Instead of a window, the curtain had covered an alcove: inside was a wall of spears and darts glistening with old poison, mounted onto a launcher. I only caught a glimpse of the flash of metal and congealed liquid, but it was enough.

_Danger from all sides_. The other curtains probably contained the same thing. Just as cautiously as before, he let the curtain fall back.

We may have discovered the traps for this cloister, but knowing where they were was still just only one part of the problem. Knowing how not to set them off was the second part. It reminded me, strangely enough, of one of the unaccessible branches in O-kerth's library, except those were magical barriers.

It was a start, at least, and better than nothing. I wanted to test it first though.

"You have anything you aren't very attached to?"

Link thought for a second, then came up with a satchel, which he handed to me. I promptly tossed it out into the middle of the room, ignoring his indignant "hey!".

The air suddenly whistled, the curtains blowing upwards with the force of it. The axes came down from the ceiling.

The bag fell to the floor, embedded with several spears and darts and nearly shredded beyond recognition. The axes were folding back into the roof, followed by the snick of several somethings sliding into empty chambers.

We were speechless for several seconds. Garo traps were apparently very thorough, and these ones had somehow homed in on the thrown bag. I hadn't ever seen such accuracy before. And even long abandoned, the traps still worked smoothly. Even reloaded itself. As much as I didn't like the Garo, I couldn't stop that tiny part of me from being impressed.

Link spoke up. "There has to be a way in though. They wouldn't put in a trap with no way to get around it: otherwise why even bother building whatever's down here if no one can get to it?"

He had a point. But I wasn't so sure the trap was as impassible as it looked. I had an idea. If I was right, we'd found our loophole.

"Do you have one more bag?" I asked.

Link cocked an eyebrow at me. "Yeah, but it's the last free one I have."

"I won't need another if I'm right."

With a small shrug, Link unhooked the bag in question from somewhere under the shield across his back and handed it to me. I didn't throw this one out. Instead, I placed it on the ground and gave it a small kick with the side of my foot, into the middle of the room. It slid forward, past the first test bag, and came to rest against a pew, untouched.

Link looked puzzled. "So it can somehow sense motion from a person walking?"

"I'm not sure how the Garo managed it, but it seems that way."

"Why can't it be something simple? Like skulltulas? Stalfos?" Link griped, disgruntled. He was the only person I knew that didn't find any of those things threatening.

"They wanted to get the job done."

"No kidding." he said. "So that's what we do? Crawl?"

I nodded. That was the final hint in itself: a person usually was _upright _and walking in order to normally "_see that before them_", not crawling on the ground and looking down. In a twisted way, interpreting it like that might just fit right in with the Garo philosophy.

"I'll go first," said Link.

"I don't think it'll make much of a difference how much armor you have if this room is set off," I pointed out. I also didn't want to see him die because I was wrong. Link just stared at me, and set his jaw, in that way that meant he wasn't going to budge no matter what I said. He quickly got to his knees, then onto his stomach.

Slowly, he began to crawl across the room, pulling himself with his arms and keeping his head down as flat as he could. I could tell from his body language that he was nervous, but I didn't blame him. Feeling fear was natural, especially considering the nature of these traps.

He passed the shredded bag.

I watched, holding my breath. If a trap went off, there was nothing I could do to save him.

Link arrived at where the second bag had slide to a stop. The black curtains continued to flutter.

After what seemed like forever, he cleared the last curtains, but crawled a few more feet for good measure before slowly rising. He had the look of someone half-expecting to die right on the spot. It was followed by intense relief when that didn't happen.

I closed my eyes, and took a deep shuddering breath. I tried to clear my mind, tried to get rid of that persistant memory of that dream. I couldn't afford to get distracted.

I opened my eyes, and knelt...

* * *

The next landing had us standing before a large set of doors, made of some dark metal and wood and stone. They were closed, with large, rusted rings set in them.

**:The Hall to the sacred Goddess of Life, and her true side, Sre-Hurdza, the Goddess of Suffering.:****  
**

Warily, Link grabbed one of the rings and pushed it open. It was lighter here than the landing in the next room, and it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust as we entered.We hadn't gotten more than a few feet in when the massive doors closed after us. All around us was the answering thud as the rest of the entrances, set in a ring around the room, drew shut, moved by whatever old power of the Garo still worked here. As soon as they did, marks began coming to life on the surfaces.

Over each set of doors were ancient runes, written in a circle over each panel, and glowing with purple energy. The border-seals that these Hell Hounds couldn't be allowed to cross. There wasn't any sign that someone had physically tampered with them.

But they looked weak. I'd seen others before, and they'd always been very bright - some nearly blinding, and with a small wave of heat coming from them. These were muted. There wasn't any sensation of static in the air.

So the High Priestess had been telling the truth on this.

The Hall was more like a large field of sand and stone, with seats in a ring around it like a coliseum, with a deep trench dividing the stands from the interior. There were more than one door set here, apparently opening and closing as one. The roof was far above us, held up by stone rafters and pillars. In the center of the Hall was a large building - some form of shrine or masoleum with several massive flights of stairs. From the looks of it, there was more than one way to the top, set at different sides of the structure.

We drew closer to it. There was only a faint trace of ash here.

Flanking each stairway was a line of statues - some twisted form of a vulture and a hound crossed with a man - that went all the way up to the open doorway. At the base, there were two larger statues, crudely carged . They were outfitted in armor and a metal helmet that also looked like it might've been an attempt at blinders. The massive heads were bowed down to the ground. There were metal cuffs attached around the necks and front paws, with equally massive chains going back up to connect to a ring on the building.

I could see another set of statues like these off in the distance, the chains leading up like those of a drawbridge. They seemed to be arranged in the cardinal points.

Link pointed up the steps, towards the building at the top. "It's gotta be up there."

"Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything."

Link had a hand on his sword as he started to climb the stairs. I already had one of the blades out. It was too quiet here--

**:You of the All-Seeing Eyes that remain blind: you cannot pass this point. Death awaits those who remain unenlightened**

I hesitated. It was a warning, but different from the others so far: there wasn't much in the way of clues compared to the other ones. I sped up, joining Link and clearing the mid-point of the stairs as I did so.

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

Link gave me a blank look. "Hear what?"

He hadn't seemed to hear that final message. Why? It couldn't have been a matter of language: he'd heard the others...

Whatever the answer was, Link wasn't planning on waiting on it. He was plunging on ahead, just as gamely as he had years earlier into those temples. I climbed the stairs as well, grumbling a little internally as I saw him clear the last steps and vanish into the building. One of these days, this kind of impulsiveness was going to get him hurt, and I didn't want to be around to see that happen.

Link's voice drifted from inside the shrine. "Are you coming?"

From the landing, I couldn't see Link: it was almost like he'd faded into the shadows inside. Compared to the outside light, it was pitch black in here. I'd need a few seconds for my eyes to adjust.

I didn't trust this. At all. With a hand tightening around the hilt of one of the short blades, I took a step in after him. And another. Two steps in past the threshold.

I didn't get any farther than that. Something changed in the air, seemed to charge it with energy the moment I'd entered the building. The ground shook. I could feel it trembling underneath my feet. The earthquake only lasted for a few seconds before it ceased. There was a pause, then a large crack of stone, followed by several smaller ones. A high-pitched hum filled the air.

It was all coming from outside.

I hurried out of the building, stopping at the porch before the stairs, and looked down. Link came out of the building to stand beside me, just as a croaking keen sounded from below.

At the base of the stairs, the two masked statues below us were moving jerkily, heads shaking awkwardly as they began to free themselves of their rock prison. The stone fell from them in panels, as if shedding. The left one rose and with a surge forward, snapped the chains free of the metal rings on the building and its pedestal. It stepped down onto the sand with a snarl. The other one stretched, and with the same ease now that it wasn't encased in stone, freed itself. That one's head started to swivel back up towards us...

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

--Completed: 8/25/07  
Feedback etc is always appreciated.


	16. Hounds from Hell: Makimah and Kimaki

**Hounds from Hell: Makimah and Kimaki**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters, Nintendo does: no money is made off this. This story and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

* * *

**Hounds from Hell: Makimah and Kimaki**

* * *

I ducked back into the building, but I knew we'd been spotted. I watched from around the door frame as the spines on their backs suddenly rose. The left one - Kimaki, I had to give it some name quickly - took a sniff of the air, then growled. The sound was almost as terrible as the Ganon's roars that day long ago.

Their shoulders tensed, the body language unmistakeable: they were on the hunt. They started to slowly come up the stairs.

The other one - Makimah - suddenly grazed its armored head against the statue nearest him, as if trying to scratch an itch. Beside it, the other repeated the motion. The statues only survived two or so brushes before crumbling, and the hounds would move onto the next one and repeat the motion.

_What are they doing?_

They kept at it, rubbing their faces against the stones, and suddenly it was all clear. The metal "masks" fell away with a loud _clang_. The demons paused where they were, Kimaki shaking its head. The helmets had covered skeleton faces, almost canine in appearance if it weren't for the horns, with long fangs and a lashing tongue that tasted the air. Their eyes looked like gems, faceted and lit with some fel light that changed colors. Each eye was moving around abruptly in every direction, like a Gerudo sand chameleon.

My hand went to my sword, although somehow I had the sinking feeling that a simple blade wasn't going to do much against them.

Makimah croaked, and instead of leaping up to try and reach in for us... they turned to each other.

What I saw didn't make sense at first.

They were weaving, almost seeming to dance with each other as they ducked in and out, over and under the other's body. The movements were swift and smooth. It started out slow, but with each pass, they seemed to be moving faster and faster. It was almost dizzying, but at the same time and despite their horrific faces, it looked almost beautiful. The fire in their gem-eyes had turned into a slow, soothing blue.

I hadn't ever seen anything so magnificent. Not even the Queen was anything like this, the gods couldn't even demand the sudden need that swept through me. I had to go out and worship them, bow down before such greatness as was befitting. Suddenly I couldn't see anything but them, no stadium, no Link, just their dance and the warm glow around them that seemed to beckon to me.

I found myself starting to break cover and walk out to them. It only seemed natural to do so. A part of me knew it was dangerous, but I suddenly didn't care. It would be an _honor _to prostrate myself before them, let them take my life.

Everything would be alright after that...

Link's hand jerked me back into the doorway. I hit the wall, bumping my head. The fog seemed to drop immediately. I saw Link again.

"Snap out of it!" he hissed. I only stared at him for a few seconds, stunned.

_What just happened there?_

I only remembered suddenly having to go to them, but everything else had vanished.

I'd looked into their eyes while they'd started dancing, and I'd nearly been dazzled. I would have just walked up and let them kill me if Link hadn't been there...

_Why didn't it affect Link?_

Maybe he'd gotten lucky, hadn't been looking at them, although I could've sworn he was.

But this wasn't the time or place to even be asking this.

There was an arc of silver, and we barely had time to scramble out of the way as several hundred pounds of steel chain came whipping right at us. It splashed against the stone pillars in a shower of sparks. The force of it alone would've taken either of our heads off. The hounds' trick hadn't worked, and they knew it.

The broken chain length went slithering back, as Makimah began to prowl the area with its brother. Seconds later, another crack against the pillars, as Kimaki lashed out with a paw, sending the chain at us.

I had to yell over the sound. "We need to seperate them!"

I'd only been affected when they'd been together. They wouldn't be able to try and use that power if they weren't near each other. It was just a guess, but it was better than risking a repeat.

Outside, chips of rock were falling off the building, lashed off by each whip of the chains that'd once bound their legs. Deep gouges were appearing in the stone. Link ducked.

"How? They're guarding the only way ou--!"

I held up my hand, shutting him up. Something was wrong outside.

Silence. Like the calm in a storm.

I peaked my head out quickly, just in time to see the hell hounds leap as one at the very building itself. They bowled into the doorway, the stones grudgingly parting before their massive bodies.The building was starting to come down.

I pushed Link down the stairs. "Go!"

There was some flashes of light as the building gave way, enough for us to see as we hurried down the stairs.I heard Link start to stumble, and roughly grabbed him by the tunic, and shoved him foward and upright.

There was muffled rumble, as the top of the building came down; we wouldn't be able to leave the way we'd come I could hear the demons clawing at the stones.

We reached the bottom soon after. There was light here, from the four exits that led out to the sand floor of the arena. Perfect for us to get them seperated.

Link seemed to have guessed what I was thinking as well. He turned back to me, and what I saw in his eyes, I didn't like. It was the look of someone who suddenly realized one of us might die, and he wanted to say something, anything...

I wouldn't let him even have the chance to think it over. This might be different than the things he'd faced earlier, but we had no choice. They had to be stopped.

"Just _go_." I said. I didn't wait, I turned around, and headed for the opposite exit.

* * *

I came out of the arena, and turned. The two hounds were perched on the top of the platform, like vultures, furiously trying to dig through the rubble.

I readied one of the throwing knives. I had no idea if this was going to work. One was going to be hard enough to handle, two, impossible. I could only hope this worked out as we'd just planned.

The knife went hurtling out into the air.

It sank into Makimah's shoulder. Both demons started to turn towards me, skeletal faces in a permanent grin. The knife, embedded in the hell hound's shoulder, looked like nothing more than a bee sting. I had the fleeting thought that I'd just made a horrible mistake; Link hadn't gotten out the same time as I had, or he was too far away, or...

Kimaki shifted then, and started heading in the opposite direction. I could hear Link yelling at it, trying to keep it on him. I couldn't hear what he was saying.

Makimah, thankfully, didn't seem to have as good hearing as Kimaki. The alien eyes were on me. The hell hound began to stalk down the stairs, its movements slow and measured. I began to back up slowly.

Its eyes never left me as it reached the floor. The tail lashed behind it.

I broke out into a run.

Makimah suddenly charged, sand spraying up.

The sand wasn't as easy to run in, for either of us. I turned in time to see the monster leap at me in an attempt to knock me down. He started to fall short, and compensated, swiping at me as he went down. There was sudden fire from my arm as I managed to just barely dive out of the way. I was up and running from the roll, blood going down my biceps. Behind me, the demon was recovering from the slip, and scrambling after me.

I sprinted, leading the thing out of sight of its brother, putting the central building between us and Link. I spurred myself on to clear that last few yards between the open space and the rubble of the seats.

I ducked out of sight behind a pillar, then dropped down into the trench. It was too narrow for Makimah bite or lunge into, but there wasn't any stopping him from trying to reach in. I began to move down the trench, heading for the ramp out of it. More and more blood was going down my arm.

He'd just grazed me - if it'd hit, it would've killed me instantly - but the gash was deep as it was, almost to bone, ripping open the scar from where Nolan had stabbed me. I couldn't be running around with an open wound.

I took a moment, as I hurriedly bound the wound, to peek my head out. The demon seemed to have - temporarily - lost track of me. It was milling about outside the trench where it'd last seen me go in, head waving about as if trying to catch scent. It seemed to be having a harder time with it.

Whatever had happened in that battle that had resulted in their imprisonment...hadn't left them unscarred.

Part of Makimah's tail was missing; where the spine tip curled on his brother, here, it was cut off and the stump burned. Most telling of all was the way he moved, almost seeming to list slightly to one side. He seemed to have a harder time pinpointing me when I moved, not even catching the miniature avalanche of pebbles I caused when I shifted. There was black blood dripping out the ear holes.

So he was hard of hearing.

Link was also assessing his enemy as well. He was motioning towards the hound pacing outside of where he'd holed up. From across the arena, I could see him motion towards his eye, then Kimaki's, then his shoulder.

His right shoulder was crushed, cracks spidering through the armor, although he seemed to be moving fine despite it. But the most telling part was the way the hound was moving, always trying to keep his right side towards where Link was. I managed to catch a glimpse of his left eye when he turned. It was faded and cracked, the fire barely moving in it..

Kimaki was partially blinded.

I ducked down, and began to half crawl, walk through towards the ramp that led from out of the trentch to both the floor and the stands.

I trusted Link to take care of the other hell hound, but this one was mine. I had to keep Makimah distracted while I figured out how to take him down.

_How do you take something down that the Sages couldn't?_

It was a question I didn't even want to be thinking about. I had a mission, and I had to accomplish it. It didn't matter how I did it.

I pulled myself out of the trench and up onto the ancient rows of benches, and darted up the steps, turning to fling several of the poisoned needles I kept on me at it. The needles bounced off the skull. A few sank into the furred neck, but Makimah didn't even seem to notice the venom. The demon did, however, see the sudden motion.

The hell hound surged forward, jaws snapping at me, as he awkwardly climbed over the trench and onto the stands. I waited the half-second it took to right himself - enough to make him think he was close, before I darted away.

Makimah was nearly tearing up the rock stands as he came after me. Several more supports collapsed. The whip chain I threw at his front paws barely slowed him down: Makimah bent his head and snapped it off, teeth going through the metal like fire through ice. He ignored the cracks and armor flaking off. Nothing seeme dto stop him.

I managed to wedge myself in amongst a fallen pillar and some rubble just in time. It wasn't the best hiding spot - the way the rubble had fallen against the pillar, my back, sides, and overhead were protected... but it also meant I was trapped.

The hell hound slowed outside.

_Did he lose track again?_

Two beams of red light came from above. They seemed to twitch into each new angle, searching. I watched, short sword gripped tightly, as one ray swept over the area up above me, then moving away to wash over the wall nearby, the other swept directly over the rubble. I pulled my foot back, pressing myself as far back as I could.

The twin rays vanished, tilting upwards.

Across the arena, there were several explosions as more pillars came down, and the room quaked. Dust was drifting down more and more from the ceiling.

I didn't dare take a breath of relief. At this range, even with his hearing wounded and the fight going on between Kamaki and Link, he'd still hear me.

There was a rattling intake of breath from the demon above me...

The way I'd come in was abruptly filled with the side of Makimah's face. We were almost face to face, the rest of him blocked out by the rubble and pillar, framing him. Red light flooded my vision for a moment as the eye locked onto me. The face and burning eye vanished, and a paw, with the shackle still on it, came darting in, the upright talon on the forefinger almost as large as I was.

I threw myself to the side, and lashed out as hard as I could in return, stabbing at the paw. I felt the sword cut through two of the digits, severing them.

Makimah gave a hideous cough, and he drew the limb, blood spraying from the wounds and leaving a trail on the floor. The two claws twitched.

I pressed myself back as Makimah shifted above. He didn't try reaching in again. Instead, I could hear him starting to push at the pillar. Instead of reaching in for me, he was trying to remove whatever hid me. With its strength, it was only a matter of time.

I didn't have that time. I had to think fast, come up with a decision of where to move next.

A large boulder was thrown several feet away.

More and more light the color of blood was filtering in, as each layer was removed.

I readied myself to run once again, between his legs, and hope I was still fast despite the blood loss...

There was that thought as well; even if I made it out, I couldn't run forever. I wounded it, but I didn't see myself getting past the armor on the belly.

The entire room shook, worse this time, rocked by whatever was going on between Link and Kimaki. The red light of the hound's gaze vanished, now trailing away. Makimah suddenly turned away from me, and started stalking out of the area.

_Where's he going?_

I peered out. My stomach suddenly sank.

The door we'd come through - the one I'd thought had shut - had drifted open from the last shake of the foundations. The seals dimmed further. And now, Makimah was trotting over to it. Even without his hearing, he'd somehow known the moment the seals had dropped enough for him to pass through.

_" If Makimah and Kimaki should manage as so much a step beyond Taldahroth's boundaries..."_

_"...they will be able to make their jump for their first targets."_

Immediately I burst out of hiding, running after it. I threw almost all of the throwing daggers I had, even some stones. I shouted at it, anything to get its attention back on me. Nothing worked. I even put myself directly in range of a strike in a bid to get him back.

They bounced off the monster's shoulder, or head, but still, the hell hound closed several more feet between itself and freedom. Everything I tried, the hellhound just ignored.

That's when I spotted it. Above the door was a series of chains and decaying ropes, attached to several weights. These were attached to the doors in such a way that it would slam them shut if triggered. I hadn't seen it from the other side of the door. The mechanism had been meant as a last resort in an invasion against the Garo: intruders couldn't be allowed to get a warning of it, and so, it'd only been placed on this side of it.

There wasn't any time to trigger it properly with the switch near the door. I had to do it from here.

I was nearly out of weapons at this point, or at least, anything that I could throw. The only thing left was the short sword on me, and the Garo weapons scattered here and there. I grasped the closest one to me - a bizzare blade shaped into a circle - and let it fly at the main rope.

The first one missed. The second one hit, but it didn't sever the main weight's rope, only frayed it.

Makimah was already at the door, and starting to push past. Its form started to flicker.

I let the third, this one a throwing axe, fly. This one landed, cutting through the weakened rope.

The doors suddenly slammed closed around Makimah's neck, with a shriek of metal. The hell hound fell against the ground, stunned. It didn't have the effect I'd entirely hoped for: the Sage-made collar around its neck had stopped the door from decapitating it.

For a sick second, I thought it might not be enough. It wouldn't buy enough time. I'd witnessed them earlier bowl several stone pillars over in less than a minute, and this door could only hold out that long...

Makimah's claws scrabbled as the creature tried desperately to free itself, but it didn't even move an inch. The hell hound thrashed violently, sending up a flurry of sand, but the doors held, not even shuddering from the massive force pushing at it. Even from here, it wasn't too hard to miss the collar reacting to the seal. The runes on the door were suddenly glowing now, as if burning around the thing's neck

It wasn't going anywhere. The collar might have saved it for a moment, but it had also sealed its fate by completing the gap left in the seal by the open space between the doors.

As long as the doors remained like this. I couldn't leave Makimah like this and risk someone stumbling in here and opening the doors. I hoisted myself up his hind leg, and began to climb.

The hell hound tried to pitch me off as I crawled towards the gap in the doors, but it seemed weaker, as if the seal was draining him. The shake I felt was probably intended to send me flying clear across the room, but I only felt a small tremor.

What I saw when I cleared the gap sent a chill down my spine.

The monster's head was blackened, as if burned, with purple smoke encasing it and rising to the ceiling in lazy tendrils. There was a ghostly air about it now. Makimah had been right in the middle of crossing into the Sacred Realm before I'd sprung the trap on him.

And now he was trapped right in the middle of both realms.

The eyes were rolling in their sockets in confusion, now a blazing orange, before they latched onto me getting to my knees on his still solid forehead. The hell hound roared, the sound shaking more dust from the ceiling. I could feel the sound vibrate in my lungs.

I adjusted my grip on the hilt. The hell hound shivered, trying to pitch me off--

I plunged the blade into the eye as hard as I could, praying to Din that the blade would hold. It did. Crystalline liquid bubbled up from around the sword, and Makimah gave pained wail.

I twisted the blade, and sent the eye popping out of the socket.

I repeated the move on the other blinded eye. I could Makimah's body fighting against the door, claws gouging at it, trying everything it could to get rid of the insect that was taking its life, removing the fire from its body.

The other eye popped out, and went skittering across the floor.

There was only a gurgling sound, and the hell hound went still as the stone it had been earlier. As I watched, the eyes dimmed, the fire inside going out completely. They looked like mere gemstones.

They began to turn to ash, until nothing else remained.

* * *

One of them might be down, but from the sounds across the "arena", the other was still up and fighting. I still couldn't see how Link was fairing at this angle, not with the central building blocking the view.

My limbs were aching, bruised from the several times I'd had to throw myself against stone to make it out, and sore from the running. The abuse from the journey so far was finally taking its toll.

I rushed back as fast as I could. It was nowhere near fast enough for me, and I swore silently at the sand and my body to forget how exhausted it was. It seemed like ages but I finally cleared the building.

Kimaki was limping, blood sizzling from the stump where its left paw had been, but it wasn't letting Link skirt to its blind side anymore. For a moment, I thought that Link might actually have the advantage here, even if it had wised up to its earlier weakness...

Link managed to block the first bite aimed at him, then rolled to the side when it tried to crush him with the good claw.

The hell hound's leer seemed, impossibly enough, to grow even bigger on its bone face then. Its tail changed, the curls straightening and lengthening until it formed a nasty whip-like spear. This transformation couldn't have taken more than a second. The tail came hurtling towards Link just as he started to rise from the crouch, the blade aimed right between his shoulderblades.

That was the last thing I saw, as several tons of stone came raining down between us as the arena's ceiling finally collapsed.

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

--Completed: 2/01/08

Feedback etc is always appreciated.


	17. The Pass of TahlrHadras

**The Pass of Tahlr-Hadras**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters, Nintendo does: no money is made off this. This story and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

* * *

**The Pass of Tahlr-Hadras**

* * *

The last bits of luck I had were still with me, apparently. I managed to stumble back in time as the ceiling gave out, several tons of rocks smashing into the ground where I'd just been standing. The collapse was only a partial one, mostly from just the very center of the roof. But it was enough to block me off as the chain reaction continued across the floor, forming a sudden wall.

I heard a crash from the other side. It wasn't from the roof giving out. As fast as I could, I began to climb. I couldn't wait for the whole pile to settle.

I had to get to Link. I had to see for myself.

Up above me, I could see some sky, small patches of sickly blue peeking through the ash swirling about. The collapse had left a ragged hole back to the surface.

As I made my way up the large slope of rubble, I was suddenly aware of quiet settling in the ruins. Every now and then, it was disturbed when I accidentally sent more rocks tumbling behind me. But that was it. There wasn't any more sounds of fighting, no ring of steel, no roars, nothing.

Just dead silence.

I forced myself to climb even faster, ignoring the cuts starting to appear on my hands. I was making good progress, yet with each foot I cleared, I was dreading what I'd see when got to the other side.

The ashes were starting to blow in on me and the arena, leaving a fine layer all over by the time I reached the top, and started down the other side. What I saw was the very last thing I expected.

Link was sitting on one of the large bricks that had hit the ground, arms relaxed on his knees, right in the middle of hooking the battered shield back onto his shoulders. His sword was held, almost lazily, in one hand.

On the ground at this feet, lay Kimaki, dead.

I didn't understand. I'd just _seen _that tail hurtling at Link, the blade on it looking sharp enough to cut through plate mail, and I didn't think there was _any _way he could have dodged in time. By all accounts, he should be dead.

Hurriedly, I climbed down, taking care not to jostle the wounded arm.

"What happened?" I demanded.

Link looked up at me and gave me a weary grin, "I won, he lost. That's about it."

I couldn't believe it was that simple, considering what I'd just seen. Holding my arm, I came up behind Link, and looked down at the thing sprawled nearby. Kimaki's eyes were empty, and there were scorch marks as if they'd been blasted right out. The sockets were still sizzling.

This wasn't making any sense. Link had dumb luck sometimes, and the rest was skill, but there still wasn't way he could have survived. And yet, here he was. I was glad that he was alive, and yet...

I found myself glancing discreetly down at his back, the area partially covered by the shield. Even so, what I could see was enough to make me think twice. There was a large rip in the tunic, right between the shoulder blades. There wasn't any blood or anything. A few bruises on him, but that was it. No red staining the tear.

I was starting to get suspicious, despite myself. This was all too hard to believe. Something strange was going on here, and somehow I wasn't seeing the full picture. It had to do with Link. I wasn't sure what it was, but the High Priestess' cryptic words were coming back to me. I remembered how she/he seemed almost afraid, as if we might be heard...

_"Remember these words,__ het'vahrar... and __take the Pass back if something seems amiss."_

"Are you sure you aren't hurt?" I asked.

"I'm fine, just a little banged up." answered Link. He caught my stare, and gave me an exasperated look. "I'm _fine_. Can we go home now?"

I nodded. Link grinned at that, and rose, sheathing his sword. Aside from what we had directly on us right now, there wasn't anything else to pack. Our rations and supplies had been destroyed in the fight. We still had our weapons, and we could find game on the way back, but it wasn't going to be easy on either of us.

One other thing had survived. It was a small slip of paper one of the High Priestess' guards had given to me after that meeting with her/him, a tiny map in Sheikah showing the exact location of the Pass. Probably a little bloodied, but relatively in one piece.

I looked again, at the massive corpse before us, then at Link's back. He didn't seem to notice the scrutiny this time.

"We're taking a short cut back," I lied.

* * *

The roof collapsing was a blessing in disguise: it had formed a makeshift ramp up to the surface at the tallest part of it, and we didn't have to go back through the traps. It was a relief.

I was exhausted. I wanted more than ever to just lie down and not wake up for a week or two, but we didn't have that luxury. The Queen was expecting me back to make that report.

Even if I hadn't been so tired, I wasn't so sure I'd be able to concentrate to even make it past the traps again. All I could think about from then on was that battle. I played it out, every second of it from start to finish. I did it while I was awake, leading us through the struggling grasslands bordering the other side of the Valley of Ash. When I lay down to catch what little rest I could, I was still trying to see it from each angle.

It was starting to consume me.

Nearly everything in the actual fight made sense, now that I could look back on it without a hell hound breathing down my neck. Everything, except for that one area of it. That moment right after the collapse.

I always came up against a blank in that short window of time that I'd been cut off. Something had happened then, and no matter how I tried to look at it, I couldn't come up with an answer. I found myself wishing that Her Highness was here, to at least offer another light on the subject. Even Impa would do, even if it was to tell me that I was overanalyzing something.

Worse yet was the strange feeling that somehow, even with the hell hounds dead, something wasn't finished.

* * *

It took us several days before we first saw the land start to tilt downwards, into a basin. From there, we had to cross the small dust plain down below, before it narrowed out into the canyons. The Region of the Wind's Road - or Tahlr-Hadras - would take us right outside of Zora's Domain, and technically was the quickest way back from here to main Hyrule.

It wasn't used that often, and that had its reasons too, I suspected. The plain had narrowed down, the cliffs crowding up against the road below as transformed into the pass. In the crags up above us, were humanoid statues, roughly carved by some ancient race long extinct. They looked grotesque, nothing like the ones back in the Temple of the Sun. It reminded me of the way vultures watched prey passing through.

The wind was being funneled through the pass, seeming to groan and breath as if some living thing, howling The place's name was appropriate.

We didn't talk much on the way here. I didn't, at least. Link tried. He did what he could to reach out to me, get me to talk, anything. It wasn't surprising that he'd try; it was his nature. I'd just started opening up to him, and he was troubled that I'd suddenly started to retreat.

I couldn't do it, as much as I wanted to go back to the way things had been heading.

All I could think of was that battle, and what I was leading Link into. He had no idea.

* * *

It was mid-day when we finally arrived.

I was seeing the site of the Royal Family's betrayal for the first time. It was one thing to hear whispers of it. It was another thing entirely to see it with your own eyes. It wasn't empty like I'd expected. We'd rounded a curve, and were suddenly faced with what looked like a massacre that had accumulated over the years.

There were piles of corpses, all seeming to have run up and found death against some invisible dome that cut across the road. Many of the bodieswere ancient, reduced to nothing but bleached bones. Several of the ones I stepped over bore the Dark King's mark; he'd tried to bring in more reinforcements through the Pass, but the attempt had failed. Others were far older, bearing the red emblem of a boar's head. The sparse grass looked like it was permanently stained red beneath the bodies.

I came to the edge. The bodies never went beyond this point, and beyond it, the ground was completely barren. It extended this way several yards, then the grass started again. Standing in the middle of the path, and in the very middle of the diameter, was a large, black obelisk. It was covered in the same warning that the High Priestess had told me about, the runes faded.

I took a small breath, and stepped over the boundary. I didn't feel anything, not even the same tingle that I felt when passing through the Queen's barrier. If I hadn't seen the corpses behind us, I wouldn't have even believed the curse was real.

The wind died down for a few moments, then began again. I continued up to the pillar. Near the base was a single, dark handprint. It had to be from the Sheikah who'd made the curse on the place.

It was still glistening, as if it'd been spilled just minutes earlier, instead of hundreds of years ago.

It was then that I realized that I was alone up here. I looked back. Link was still standing back where the bodies were; he hadn't moved to follow me. He was looking around at the place, suddenly wary. He'd noticed how the corpses had piled up, and had at least realized there was something about the area.

This wasn't quite the shortcut he'd expected.

"What is this place?" Link asked uncertainly.

I didn't answer that at first. Instead, I looked back down at the handprint on the stone. This was a test, but it was one that he couldn't fail; death was the only answer to that, but I had to quell that tiny suspicion.

If he lived, well...

There were consequences too. I was breaking what trust we had, and I doubted Link would let it go so easily.

Yet, I had to be sure.

"It's a marker, warning of the curse that was placed here," I replied. Link stared at me, still not sure where I was going with this. He'd know, soon enough.

I started to read the stone:

_"Abarashou shii, weianto maseanu wo..._  
_ doshte, a-nu._  
_ Abarasha shen, furueru wahr ajaa Leen._  
_ soshte e, tellaan feeyaht._  
_ N-da nai, antayen, yo rinlaii._

_ N-dahn lim, n-dahn sietya._  
_ Trrya, Yeenya, Felnya._  
_ Zho, abdah-nai."_

I turned, to look straight into his eyes as I translated for him._  
_

_"Those with darkness in their hearts,  
turn back.  
Those who bear ill towards Hyrule,  
go no further.  
The journey, here, is at an end._

_The goddesses, the Triad.  
Nayru, Farore, Din. _"

Link's face darkened, as he fully realized what was being implied, and that I'd lied to him: this wasn't just a simple shortcut. He looked again at the bodies lining up, and then at me. He didn't even try to gather himself to take the plunge, or take a deep breath.

Link's shoulders stiffened, and he took a single, large step over the boundary.

Nothing happened.

"There, happy?" Link asked. His voice was cold.

I was wrong. I was relieved that he'd passed, and lived, but at the same time, I'd just hurt him far worse than I ever could physically. Now he knew what my betrayal felt like. If he'd ever entertained seconds thoughts about going back to his time - and I was almost certain he had, earlier - there wasn't any doubt now.

Link didn't wait for me to answer. He stalked past me, jaw clenched, and continued down the pass, out of the radius of the blood curse. He didn't even look at me.

I looked back at the stone, at the blood still wet on it, as if it would have answers. There wasn't anything, only that ancient promise of vengeance on those who bore ill towards Hyrule.

* * *

Link wasn't talking to me after that, only doing so when he absolutely had to. He was angry, hurt. I didn't blame him. I wasn't going to try and comfort him, or act like it was acceptable because it was my duty. It was the truth, but there was only so far it could go. Probably so far that Link would actually ever let duty go before it hurt someone. That was the difference between him and I.

I'd never cared too much if people got hurt because of duty - other than Link - because all that had mattered before was fulfilling mine. There'd never been much of a boundary before, and maybe that was true Sheikah ruthlessness right there, but now I found myself wishing too late that there had been.

Maybe he was right.

I'd lived my life in constant danger. I knew that finding someone trustworthy was next to impossible. And when I'd finally found someone that I could trust, someone who understood...

I'd been the one who betrayed him in the end.

Link was driving us back home, at the same punishing pace I'd put us through earlier. He wasn't going to stop this time to make sure I was keeping up; judging from his body language, he wanted to get back to Her Majety and get back to his own time. Get this over and done with.

As far as he was concerned, there wasn't much left here.

At the progress we were making back, it only took a few more days to reach central Hyrule. We came out on the cliff top over Zora's Domain. Below us were the familiar bridgeways and ladders, and the waterfall that rushed over the entrance. After the Valley of Ash, and the Pass, the breeze here was gentle and pure, although I could sense rain would be coming soon.

In the distance, I could just see the spires and tiny flags that made up the top of Hyrule Castle. We were home.

"Finally," was all Link said.

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

--Completed: 2/02/08

Feedback etc is always appreciated.


	18. Reunion

**Reunion**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters, Nintendo does: no money is made off this. This story and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

* * *

**Reunion**

* * *

It was starting to drizzle by the time we reached the drawbridge to the market place. The place was bustling despite the gloomy weather, crowded with merchants trying to get in the last sales before the rain came in, and with petitioners making their way up towards the castle. A few looked at me suspiciously.No one spared Link a second glance.

The hero they'd needed had vanished in a battle few had witnessed. I wouldn't be too surprised if many of them had forgotten what he'd looked like. The years had been harsh on everyone.

I led us through the pathways, and finally up the main walkway to the castle. The guardhouses were being swamped, with more petitioners trying to get through. They were roughly turned away - the Queen had let in as many as she could just now, and there wasn't going to be any more until tomorrow.

We passed villagers who were swearing in frustration, others were weeping, a few had the quiet, weary look of those just starting to give up.

I didn't pay them any attention. The Queen would see me, however. She would want to know that I'd succeeded. I nodded to the captain of the guard as I walked past, Link at my heels. He waved me through, but was too focused on the people trying to crowd up to look closely at who was with me.

Before us, the immense castle sprawled, towers looking as if they'd pierce the heavens. This was the one thing that still looked as I'd remembered it - almost - from the coronation. The stewards and grounds keepers had done a fine job. It was too bad that no one in this age could really appreciate it for it was; a memory of a past long gone.

It was at the main gate that we paused. There was a faint shimmer to the air, and if we'd been in the Haunted Wastelands, it could easily be mistaken for a mirage. The Queen's barrier covered this entrance, and the entire castle. I needed to get Link through it.

I touched Link's shoulder, and then pushed us both threw the threshold of the castle. There was a sensation of the hairs on the back of my neck rising as we passed through the barrier, but that was it. Both Link and I were in.

Link gave me a cool look, and I silently dropped my hand.

We continued on through the hallways, heading for the door at the far end. I couldn't shake that uncomfortable feeling as we drew up to the entrance to the throne room.The blood curse might have let him go through, and that should be the end of it. It should prove without a doubt that everything was fine.

The instinct got worse as we went through the open doors.

One of the couriers was announcing my return to the room and to the Queen seated at the end.

As we pushed our way through the crowd, the sinking feeling grew in the pit of my stomach. There was something definitely wrong. Something else had been strange about him ever since we had met: whatever it was, it felt like it would spell out everything...

...It had to be something everyone took for granted, that it wouldn't have been immediately obvious...

There hadn't been a chance to really look, but now it finally dawned on me. I looked down, just as the last of the crowd parted for us. I realized then what it was.

_Link had no shadow._

I barely had time to register this when there was a sudden commotion from the end of the hall. Her Highness had screamed, a sound of intense fear and anger. She'd half-risen from the throne, finger thrust at Link.

"It's _Him!_" she shrieked.

As if from far away, I heard the Queen shout for the guards to kill him. I saw it then, my eyes flicking to Link's face. The blue eyes that I'd thought seemed to have a tinge of purple, maybe from trick of light or from my own imagination... they were blazing now, the violet washing out the blue. What humor, what naivity and growing maturity I'd known before was gone. All personality in his face had vanished, dropped as easily as a mask and replaced by something unhuman, something blank, just like my dream. His eyes were wide and glowing, staring unblinkingly up at the Queen.

The pretense had been dropped completely. And now, I was beginning to understand.

It was all falling into place. Why I'd always had thought Link seemed a little strange since finding him in that forest. My reasoning for why that was so had been completely wrong... the dogs in Rydel...the animals seeming to go silent after I had met Link...Faneer's reaction when he first saw him...

The woman, the one who had told the prophecy hadn't been bleeding because she was being stopped by a divine force from spilling their plans. No. She'd been bleeding because she'd been trying to fight being possessed by it. She'd been made to say it. And I'd been wrong in reading it. I hadn't stopped to think further on it.

And the hell hounds. They'd only been released from the stones when I'd crossed that threshold; that one last warning had been for me - only a Sheikah could have opened it. The entire thing had been to ensure that I would be satisified, and bring Link back, without going back to check on his body in the first place. The prophecy had been accurate still, even if it wasn't the way either of us had read it as.

The threat had still come from the east.

I'd been set up, from the very beginning. There'd been so many more warning signs besides just those. I hadn't connected them back to the obvious source. Perhaps I hadn't wanted to see it for myself.

The guards, the petitioners, myself... we all had rushed to move, the guards to carry out Her Majesty's order, the petitioners to flee. I only managed to take a step towards Link to push him out of the way, or to apprehend him before the soldier next to me could reach him. I never found out which. I didn't get further. Everything suddenly seemed to freeze. My limbs stiffed, locked in place by some otherworldly force. I tried to move, but my legs weren't responding.

I could only watch as Link slowly sauntered through the frozen crowd and started up the steps, moving with a liquid grace that wasn't natural. His eyes never once left the Queen as she sank down in the chair.

He was going to kill her. I had to make a choice.

What was unfolding before me wasn't the work of some evil to the east. The evil wouldn't have made it past the blood curse in the Pass. I felt sick. Impa's warning was rushing back to me.

It'd never been an evil. It was the opposite.

I could either stand back, let the events unfold as desired by the Three...or I could try to stop it. One was the divine will, to let Link do his duty, to let things come to pass as they had been engineered towards. There were two conflicting duties here. One, the Sheikah one at large was to serve Din and Hyrule foremost...the other was to serve my Queen and the Royal Family.

I had a choice here. For once, I didn't know what to do. It wasn't as clear cut as before.

Kafei's words were coming back to me;

_"...No...You don't see it, do you?"_

I remembered the looks on the people's faces when they spoke of the Queen and her army.

_"...How can you continue to serve that woman?!"_

I remembered how she'd changed over the years, how Hyrule hadn't quite that Golden Age that people had been expecting...

_"Can't you see that she's dragging everyone down?! The woman is a menace. I won't let you do it!"_

I remembered Impa.

_"The decision has been made, and there can be no help for someone who's become as damned as Zelda."_

It was hard to breathe, and then, out of my memory, my own words came back to me. It cut through the indecision like a knife.

_"And... regardless, whatever happens, I will always be by your side."_

_...No matter what you've become..._

Suddenly it was all clear.

I knew what I had to do._  
_  
I threw all my weight, what little spiritual energy I had, everything against the unholy force that kept me frozen. Pain exploded everywhere. I kept pushing. Something weakened around me. Pushed even more. Link was almost at the top of the dias. I put one last effort. Something cracked in my chest, and I was suddenly tasting blood in my mouth as I stumbled forward. But I was free.

There wasn't time to think. I snatched the broadsword from the hands of the guard next to me, and forced myself to _move_.

Link had cleared the last step and advanced on the Queen. He reached out a hand and drew up the veil. She was staring up at him, a look of sheer terror on her pretty face. Link leaned down, and whispered something to her. I never got to hear it or find out what it was: with a wail, Her Highness had fallen to her knees, clutching her head and sobbing brokenly.

Link straightened.

I was rushing up the steps. That one little move had bought me time. I was right on him when he turned, an expression finally on his empty face, one of honest _surprise_. I swung.

The broadsword dragged for an instant. It grated against the marble floor, sparks scattering from the metal, before it swung up in an deadly arc.

Half of the blade shattered the moment it touched his neck in a spray of steel, but it still cut through.

Three otherwordly female voices shrieked at once as the sword exited the other side of Link's neck. The stained glass windows blew in with a crash, the rain splattering into the hall. I turned as the body slumped besides me. I watched as the head fell amongst the shower of colored glass. Everything seemed to slow down. It bounced down a step... another... several more before coming to rest at the base, eyes still open and staring, the startled look frozen on the face.

No blood flowed out onto the pristine floor.

* * *

** : To be continued...:**

* * *

--Completed: 2/02/08

Notes: Thank you for bearing with me for so long. I hope you've enjoyed it. Please don't spoil the last two chapters in reviews, etc, thank you!


	19. Epilogue: The Beginning of the End

**Epilogue: The Beginning of the End**  
by Wyna Hiros

**Disclaimers and the ilk:** I don't own Zelda 64 or the characters, Nintendo does: no money is made off this. This story and all original side-characters/monsters and locations, however, are my property and may not be used without my permission. If you'd like to archive it (or whatever), please see the contact information on my profile. I don't bite.

Edit:** Please don't spoil the last two chapters in reviews, etc, thank you!**

* * *

**Epilogue: The Beginning of the End**

* * *

They'd used the one other person I could have trusted so blindly, to ensure that I'd get him through Zelda's barrier and right to her.

Link hadn't left the forest. Ever. That much I was certain of now.

This wasn't over.

Link had told me once about a copy of him that he'd run into once in the Water Shrine, forced into existance by the Black King. The thing, he told me, had looked like him, except for the red eyes and the white hair. It hadn't behaved like him at all though.

What I'd just run into hadn't been like that at all. There was no Dark One to fashion it, and it had acted more like a direct version of Link, with all of his memories and mimicing his behavior almost flawlessly and extrapolating its own actions based on guesses - all things that the Dark One could never have hoped to get right...even if there was a transparent quality to them. He'd had something the Black King had lacked: Link been through time itself, the Sacred Realm, had handled the Master Sword. He'd have been the most vulnerable to the Three, and the most useful to them. Of all the bearers of the Triforce pieces, he was the least threatening to their power.

This thing, the harbinger, had to be directly connected to Link somehow. I was certain of it.

And it would be back, if that was the case.

* * *

I'd left the Queen surrounded by her guards. She had barely just been conscious enough to beg me to stay with her. I could only promise to be back, but there wasn't any avoiding this final order, even if she didn't have the mind anymore to issue it to me directly.

I'd made sure to detain all the people in the hall before I left, leaving them locked in, all the guards armed and blocking the doors out. I didn't want news of this reaching my destination ahead of me. Even then, I couldn't be sure I'd delayed all the petitioners. Some might've escaped before the room had been frozen. I had to move fast, for the sake of her Majesty.

I only took the time to bandage the cracked ribs I'd received earlier before I set off. I took the remainder of the soldiers with me.

We headed south.

* * *

We rode all night. It was just before dawn when we stopped. There was a mass of stormclouds rushing in from the west: it was likely that we wouldn't even get to see the sun rising. The entrance to the Kokiri Forest was quiet, darkened, with fog still hanging over it.

There wasn't anyone outside. I'd arrived just in time.

Around me, the soldiers, even if they were clad in the toughest steel and weaponry, looked apprehensive. The forest , at this time of day and after everything that had happened years ago, didn't look like it housed the Kokiri. It was nearly impossible to see past the black shadows between the tree trunks. Overhead, several crows sat on the dead branches of the trees framing the entrance, peering down at us. One kawed.

I led the way in, and slowly, one by one, the soldiers followed after me...

* * *

I slid off my horse, making sure to tie the reigns to one of the sign posts nearby.

I hadn't much to do with the Kokiri before Zelda's coronation. It was only after that I started visiting Link that I became a more familiar face to them. More importantly, their chief, Mido.

Sure enough and as if on cue, a familiar, childish figure came strolling out of one of the houses and right up to me.

"We haven't seen you for awhile, outsid--" Mido trailed off, eyes going towards the soldiers coming up behind my shoulder, before they trailed back to me. "--er.

"I'm here to see Link."

The Kokiri was looking at the squad, obviously uneasy. In the past, I'd always come by myself. Something was going on, and he couldn't put a finger on what it was.

"Why are they here?" he demanded. A small hand pointed at the closest guard.

"The outside world has grown more dangerous over the years," I said. My voice was calm, steady: nothing to give anything away to Mido, nothing to suggest that I thought that the guards at my back were anything out of the ordinary.

Still, the Kokiri didn't move, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm here to see Link," I repeated.

The Kokiri frowned at me. He knew of my role during the Dark King's reign and what sacrifices I'd made. As far as he knew, I'd always served selflessly to fulfill my vows to the land, its people... and to the Princess and LInk. Despite his misgivings, Mido didn't have any concrete reason to stop me from seeing Link.

With a grunt and a headshake, he finally stepped aside, letting us pass.

I could feel his eyes, as well as the curious gaze of the other Kokiri fastened on us as we moved deeper into their realm.

* * *

We reached the housing Link was kept in, the dwelling small, ancient, and still unchanged since I'd last seen it. One of the Kokiri had mentioned once that it had belonged to the Forest Temple's keeper, years ago. It only seemed fitting to keep the fallen Hero here.

The squad I had with me were nervous, their faces pale, trembling and trying to do everything in their power to hide it. Even when Mido let us through, they didn't relax. If anything, they tensed even further, hands tightening on the swords strapped to their waists. Two of the guards were sweating profusely.

They'd all heard the legends about the place, about the Lost Woods. It was always a popular story to tell: how all those who entered the forests - and weren't of the Kokiri - would be cursed. Those who entered were doomed to become monsters.

I'd always dismissed them as myth. But maybe there was some truth to it after all, even if it wasn't quite in the way the story told it as.

I stopped at the door way and turned, motioning the captain to my side.

"Stay here. Don't let any of the forest children in until my business is completed," I murmured softly into his ear. "If they try to interfere, you may stop them. _Don't_ kill them."

I'd finally come to understand. I knew, _finally_, that I had what it took to do everything that was necessary, no matter how despicable it was. The new Deku Tree was young, and hadn't grown into the full strength that its predecessor had possessed yet.

But I wasn't willing to test the limit of its powers by harming its children.

* * *

Even if the doorway was blocked by a heavy curtain - not the best barrier - the guards would have to serve as the best deterrent. The Kokiri were keeping their distance, confused at the sight of so many arms, but not entirely threatened just yet. The last thing I saw before the curtain blocked my view was them gathering, watching the soldiers curiously.

I turned away, to look back at th e room before me. It was easier to stand in here, compared to the other dwellings.

Link was lying there, on the cot, just like I'd last seen him. His condition seemed worse though. I approached the bedding and half-knelt to look at the area directly below the cot he lay on. My suspicions were confirmed.

The shadow didn't match: instead it was small and weak, but moving as if it had a life of its own. As I watched, it pulsed, grew slightly larger, a little stronger looking. The thing was reassembling itself, no doubt for another attempt at the Three's bidding. I couldn't allow that to happen.

I stood up. Link had shifted restlessly, unaware of anything, much less that he'd lost control of his own shadow. I smoothed back his hair from where it lay plastered on his forehead.

He was sweating, nearly feverish and mumbling. It was almost incoherent. I caught him muttering something about "_Japas_", "_Kamaro_", "_Snowhead_", "_Majora_". There was something about a mask as he grimaced, and that one seemed to pain him the most.

Link was caught between a dream and a nightmare, fueled on by the link between his shadow and himself. The Three wouldn't be releasing him either. That much was very clear. They'd never meant for me to go back to his own time. They needed him here like this, both to ensure that the timeline didn't alter any further, and to act as an anchor for the shadow that was now their agent.

Maybe that had been the one honest wish that had gotten through to me through the harbinger; the desire to go home, to where it was safe and familiar.

I looked down at his face, committing every little detail of it to memory. This wasn't Link's fault. He didn't have any control over this. He couldn't help it. He wouldn't have wanted any of this to happen either, in fact, it would have made him sick... but what he wanted hadn't ever had much impact on what the Goddesses demanded of him.

It was tempting to go down that line of thought, but I knew that it wouldn't make a difference. Even if he wasn't directly responsible, the fact that he was still alive was. I knew what had to be done.

I leaned over, and allowed myself to press my lips to his. The kiss was quick and chaste, but the shivering lessened at the touch. Link's temperature didn't go down though nor did he wake. He mumbled something unintelligible. I leaned back, lowered my mouth near his ear.

"We'll see each other again, one day," I whispered. Everything had its final limit, and at least this promise was something that could be kept without fail. Link didn't answer me, only turned his head a little with a sigh.

I unsheathed one of the short blades at my side.

* * *

It was raining, with far more ferocity than I'd ever seen before.

I let the curtain fall back after me as I left the dwelling, feeling more cold than I'd expected, and it wasn't just because of the rain. Everything felt numb. I was already thinking of what I had to do next - even as I absently wiped the bloody blade off on my thigh - but perhaps it was the only way I could deal with what I'd just done.

Even if I'd removed the way for the Three to act directly against Her Highness, I knew it couldn't be over that easily. They would find other ways.

It was no longer safe for the Queen to remain at the castle. Not with her barrier dissolved, and her sanity nearly broken. There would be other dangers besides the Triad. It would be only a matter of time before one of the dissenting subjects got the courage up to try again at her life. This time there would be no barrier nor her powers to protect her this time. The Triforce could only protect her against the Goddess' direct wrath.

Her Majesty's people would need to manage on their own, without her guidance and without her powers. I had to take her somewhere safe.

The mountains would be the best.

I signaled to the soldiers that we were moving out. It was with no small amount of relief that they did so. I didn't say anything as we all mounted our horses, just focused on leading them out of the forest. One of the Kokiri actually gave me a small wave; I didn't return it. The rain was coming down in torrents, as if the sky sought to drown the land below it..

We'd just cleared the trees, already on the road back to the castle when we heard the first terrible wail of many voices coming from the woods behind us.

* * *

** : The End:**

* * *

--Completed: 2/02/08

Notes: Thank you for bearing with me for so long, it's been fun. I hope you've enjoyed it. **Please don't spoil the last two chapters in reviews, etc, thank you!**


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